


A Shadow's Nocturne

by princessdragonsun



Series: A Shadow's Nocturne [2]
Category: Lego Ninjago, The Legend of Zelda
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, As in-she might survive and go into hiding, Background Relationships, Brief suicide attempt later on, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Gerudo Link (Legend of Zelda), Inspired by Breath of the Wild, Inspired by Hyrule Warriors, Maybe - Freeform, Morro redemption, Music plays a part in the story, Semi-Harumi Redemption, Sheik has trust issues, Sheik is not Zelda, Sheikah Zelda, Triforce family, duh - Freeform, friendship and family - Freeform, spoilers for all the seasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-09-07 02:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 66,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16845073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessdragonsun/pseuds/princessdragonsun
Summary: An abandoned girl that goes by Sheik is found by Sensei Wu and trained to be the ninja she would have been had her tribe not shunned her. But when the girl gets teammates, Wu decides that it would be safest to have her pretend to be one of them. A boy. And while the threat of Garmadon and the Serpentine looms over Ninjago, the Yiga Clan seek to find and kill Sheik.





	1. Sheik's Prelude

Being hunted down at a mere six-years-old by your ex-tribe’s arch nemesis, the Yiga Clan, is not what I expected to be a day-to-day thing.

I ran as fast as I could, my feet hardly making a sound as I moved swiftly through the brush. I stumbled as I left the cover of the greenery and into a dead end thanks to a cliff face. I ran to the wall of rock, punching it with my fists.

“No, no, no!” I whimpered.

“Got you!” the voice of my pursuer said.

Gasping, I turned around to see the red-clad ninja that was a Yiga looming over me.

“No more running, little Sheikah,” he said, raising his sickle to strike me down.

I squeezed my red eyes shut, bracing for the impact. The sound of hollow wood hitting someone reached my ears and I flinched.

When I didn’t feel any pain, I slowly opened my eyes to see an elderly man wearing a white kimono with a black belt. Much of his torso was covered by a long, white beard and mustache which also covered his wrinkled face. An orange emblem could be seen on the top left on his kimono, in addition to various creases. He also wore a tan straw hat and held a bamboo staff in his right hand.

He was standing over the unconscious form of the Yiga Clan member. I let out a huge sigh of relief and slid to the ground, trembling.

That’s the closest they’ve ever gotten.

“Come, before he wakes,” the man said, pulling me to stand.

My legs felt like jelly. The man pulled me with him as we ran and we only stopped when we reached stairs that led up a mountain.

I flopped on the ground and caught my breath.

“We should be safe here from whomever that was,” the man said, starting up the steps.

“I hope so…” I mumbled before following him.

I hardly noticed how long it took to climb the steps up to the top of the mountain. When we reached the top, there was a monastery that must have been the man’s home, though, why someone would live isolated on a really tall mountain is beyond me. We entered the courtyard.

“Once you wash, rest, and eat, we can get you back home. And, I suppose, some new clothes would be in order as well…” he said, glancing at my rags and matted blonde hair, “Your parents must be worried.”

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. The man gave me a questioning look. I cleared my throat awkwardly, realizing how rude that was.

“Sorry, sir, but bringing me ‘home’ won’t be necessary,” I answered.

“Either way, you can stay here as long as you want,” the man replied.

The man had given me clothes to replace the dirty rags I wore and he fed me.

I had decided to stay with the man. Apparently, he went by Sensei Wu. He had looked so lonely living up here all by himself. When he had asked for my name, I had refused to tell him at first. I didn’t want to be reminded of how I came to be cast out to begin with. Eventually, I got tired of being called ‘child’, ‘girl’, and ‘young one’ and decided to make up a name.

Sheik.

While not the most creative name, as I had just named myself after my tribe, it was all that I could think of without it being too girly for me.

After giving myself a name, I had started to call Sensei Wu ‘Father’, as he felt like the father I never had.

When I told Father where I came from and who my mother was, as well as my sister, he had offered to train me as a ninja. I had agreed in hopes of still being accepted back into my tribe.

I was fourteen when my Father found three new students. All of them were boys.

Cole was first. He was sixteen. He had long shaggy black hair, blue eyes, and thick bushy eyebrows. He was quite calm and intelligent.

Jay came second. He was fifteen. He had short orange-brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a notch on his right eyebrow. You could tell right off the bat that he was a talker and loved jokes.

Zane came next. He was also fifteen. He had tall flat-top blonde hair, grey-blue eyes, and sharp eyebrows. He was definitely quieter than the others. He was serious, reserved, polite and respectful. And he didn’t appear to have a sense of humor.

I had been excited that there were going to be teens around my age that I could talk to until Father told me he didn’t want me to make myself known to them just yet. While disappointed, I sort of understood. They needed to focus on training as much as I did.

I watched as Father ‘taught’ the new kid, Kai, I think his name was. I could tell the boy was getting more and more frustrated with every day that passed. Apparently, it’s Father’s thing to have the students finish the training course before he finishes his tea. And might I add in his tiny cup?

Though hiding wasn’t ideal for me, Father seemed to think it was necessary. The others were out, tasked with surviving in the wilderness and didn’t even know about the new guy.

Kai was fifteen. He had tall, thick, spiky brown hair, brown eyes, and a notch on his left eyebrow. He appeared to be very hotheaded, cocky, and one to leap before he looked. Though, from what I heard from Father, his sister was taken by Skulkins, a skeleton race that lived in the Underworld. And that appeared to be driving his impatience to learn Spinjitzu.

Today was another fail as Kai was tossed into the steps next to Father by the spinning punching bag. I closed the blinds to my bedroom window and stood, stretching myself out.

Oh well. Maybe tomorrow.

Cole, Zane, and Jay would be home tomorrow. Maybe I could toy with them again. Honestly, it’s hilarious to watch them flip out over something so tiny as me moving one of their belongings while they’re not there. And then returning to find it in a different spot. Especially Jay. His freakouts are

.

Once I was sure Kai had gone to bed, I left my room and headed to the kitchen. Father was already there with a cup of tea in his hand.

“How much longer do I have to hide?” I whined, leaning on the counter behind me.

“Not much longer,” he answered.

I brightened.

“But!” he added on.

My expression fell.

“I suggest we hide your gender,” he said.

“What?! Why?!”

“Once Kai finishes his training, we’ll be going to find the Golden Weapons. And you will be getting more field time. The Yiga Clan is still seeking you. It would be safer if you were to disguise yourself so that they would not recognize you.”

“Fine…” I moaned, “But can I still wear the Sheikah emblem? I want to honor my heritage.”

“Even if the Sheikah-”

“-Are the Yiga’s enemy? Yes. The Yiga haven’t attacked at the sight of one in years. And besides, we’re still going to be an enemy anyway.”

Father sighed, “Yes, I suppose so.”

I hugged him, “Thank you, Father!”

He hugged me back with one arm, the other one holding his teacup away from us.

“You best get to bed,” he said, releasing me.

“Okay… Goodnight,” I sighed.

I watched in awe as Kai finally finished the training course. I don’t think I would have ever thought of that tactic. He had thrown his sword, knocking Father’s cup out of his hand and finished before he had a chance to finish pouring his tea again. Kai ended his act by sitting next to Father, offering him the sugar.

I snorted in amusement and closed the blinds.

Father came into my room as the sun started to set, bringing me my new outfit. It actually seemed more complicated than I thought it would be. I told my father I didn’t want to wear the typical ninja outfit he had chosen. I wanted something different. Unlike the ninja’s gi, mine didn’t look like pajamas. My suit was the traditional Sheikah stealth armor, with a few added details for customization.

“Complete with the Sheikah emblem,” Father said, handing me the folded suit, “Their final test is tonight.”

He left to go to bed and I put my new outfit on.

It was a skin-tight, indigo and royal blue suit that came with pads for my arms, legs, and shoulders. There was a silver-colored chest binder with the red Sheikah eye and tear to hide what it was. I didn’t trust the pads to not come off while in battle, so I wrapped my arms and legs in bandages to keep them in place. I put a white shawl over my shoulders that covered the bottom half of my face to help conceal myself.

Next came my hair. I didn’t want to chop off all of my blonde hair and I wouldn’t. My hair would have been longer had it not been cut the moment before I was cast out. It currently reached my lower back.

I rolled my eyes at myself as I braided the bottom half of my hair. When I finished I wrapped the top of my head to keep my hair in place. The bottom of the braid reached my mid-back. My bangs covered my left eye. Good. One less freakish red eye to scare the ninja away. I pulled on my boots and fingerless gloves.

I looked at myself in the mirror and felt like something was missing.

My weapons!

I grabbed my four sheathed kunai and strapped them to my thighs. I nodded in satisfaction. Suddenly, there was a crash outside my room. I snapped my head to the door before hiding in the corner by my window. I heard the training course start outside and looked out the window. I relaxed when I saw it was just Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane. The latter three were fighting Kai.

I exited my room at the same time as Father exited his. He gestured for me to follow. I stayed by the doorway, concealed by a support beam as Father opened the door to the courtyard.

“Stop!”

The four stood from their dog pile, Cole, Jay, and Zane making a quick bow to Father.

“Yes, Sensei.”

Kai remained quiet in his surprise before stepping forward, “Wait a minute. They’re your students too?”

Father nodded.

“This was my final test, wasn’t it-” Kai was cut off by Jay stepping forward.

“Woah-Woah-Woah-Woah-Woah! You never said anything about a fourth. It’s always three. Three blind mice. Three Musketeers. Three-” Cole stepped forward interrupting Jay this time.

“Uh, what he’s trying to say, Sensei Wu, is that the three of us have trained together. We’re solid,” he said.

Kai crossed his arms, “Didn’t look so solid to me.”

“Master, what is the meaning of this?” Zane asked.

Father walked down the steps, “Each of you has been chosen. Each in tune with elemental properties. And it’s not four…”

Jay sighed in relief.

“There are five of you,” Father finished.

“What?!”

“Five?!”

“Are you serious?!”

“Sheik. You can come out now,” Father said.

I stepped into view, munching on an apple I had snagged on our way out.

Everyone stared at me. I swallowed my bite.

“Oh sorry. Was I supposed to jump out and say ‘surprise’?”

Father sighed, shaking his head, “This is my son, Sheik.”

“You. Have. A. Son?!” Jay asked.

“Adopted son,” I corrected.

“I will explain everything. But first-Ninja go!” Father did Spinjitzu and moved across the four, changing their outfits into their new ninja suits. Zane was white, Jay was blue, Kai was red, and Cole was black.

“Woah! How’d he do that?” Kai asked as he and the others checked out their clothes.

Jay giggled, “Look what color I am!”

“Wait a minute. I’m still black,” Cole said, disappointed.

I temporarily placed my apple on the rail and stood next to Zane.

Father stepped up to Kai, “Kai, Master of Fire. It burns bright in you.”

He then turned to Jay, “Jay is blue. Master of Lightning.”

“Heh, that’s not all I’m the master of. I do a little inventing, I dabble in model building, a touch of cooking, little poetry…” Jay boasted cheerfully.

Cole sighed, “More like ‘Mouth of Lightning’.”

I tried and failed to cover up a snort of laughter.

Father turned to Cole next, “Black ninja is Cole. Solid as rock. Master of Earth.” He stepped back as Cole spun around and planted his scythe on the cobble beneath our feet.

“Ha!” Kai laughed.

Cole pointed his blade at Kai’s throat, “Nice to meet you, Kid. I got your back. And for the record, there ain’t nothin’ in this world I’m afraid of.” He removed his hood.

“Except for dragons,” Zane spoke up.

“Dragons aren’t from this world, Zane. I said in this world,” Cole replied awkwardly, taking the blade away from Kai’s throat.

I think I’ll just let him think that so he can sleep at night…

Father approached me, “Sheik is the indigo ninja. Master of Blight.”

Why does he always have to make a production out of everything?

“Why does he get a different suit?” Jay asked.

“Because I prefer this over PJs,” I replied, looking away from them.

“Ey, ey, ey! These are not PJs!”

I rolled my eyes.

Father turned to Zane, “And white ninja is Zane. Master of Ice. And seer with sixth sense.”

Zane spun his shurikens and they vanished.

“I sense this one takes things a little too seriously,” Kai muttered, leaning towards Cole.

Zane removed his hood and turned to Kai, “You, too, have the gift?”

Jay chuckled, “He’s just making a joke, Zane,” he removed his hood too, “Remember what we talked about? Your sense of humor, huh?”

Zane smiled, “Yes. It was a joke. Ha. Ha.”

Jay facepalmed and Kai removed his hood.

“Pay attention!” Father shouted, drawing our attention. He was now back at the top of the steps, “You five are the chosen ones who will protect the four weapons of Spinjitzu from... Lord Garmadon.”

“But what about my sister?!” Kai asked, pointing his katana at Father.

Jay gasped, “We’re saving a girl? Is she hot?”

I facepalmed. This… This right here is probably why…

“Jay,” Cole scolded.

“I just wanna know what we’re getting ourselves into… Does she like blue?”

“Back off!” Kai warned.

“When we find the weapons, we find your sister. It is time. We must go to the first weapon,” Father announced.

“Woah-Woah-Woah-Woah! Hold on a minute! You said you were going to teach us Spinjitzu,” Cole protested.

“Spinjitzu is inside each and every one of you. But it will only be unlocked when the key is ready to be found,” Father explained.

There were about two seconds of complete silence.

“Come! My feet are tired. We will take the horse carriage,” Father said, going back inside.

“Great…” Cole mumbled sarcastically.

“Now we have to find a key?” Jay asked.

“Yeah, I have a feeling he’s taking us for a ride.”

“Well, if it means finding my sister, then sign me up,” Kai said, pulling his hood back on and heading back inside.

I sighed, fighting back a moan. The horse carriage… Why did it have to be the horse carriage?

Dawn was just breaking as we climbed the mountain the Caves of Despair was located on, pulling the horse carriage that Father was riding on. Cole and Kai were up front while Jay, Zane, and I were behind them.

“Sign me up,” Jay mocked Kai in a high pitched, nasally voice, “Way to go, spark plug.”

“I sense this is some strange form of team building,” Zane said.

Well played, Father. Well played.

“Just keep pulling,” Cole encouraged, “We have a long way to go.”

“So,” Kai started, trying to make small talk, “Where did Sensei find you four?”

“Let’s just say, if it wasn’t for Sensei Wu, I don’t think we’d ever be seen together,” Cole said, “I was testing my limits.”

“I was testing my invention,” Jay added.

“And I was testing myself,” Zane said.

“I was running for my life,” I said. They stared at me. “Hi.”

“You’re right. If it weren’t for Sensei, none of us would-” Kai was cut off by Father shushing us.

“Stop!”

We stopped pulling and caught our breath.

“The Caves of Despair.”

We hid amongst the rocks at the top of the pit before us. Skulkins were crawling all over the place.

“Samukai must be close to unearthing the Scythe of Quakes,” Father said, “Remember, do not use the weapon for its power-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jay said, “It’s too much for us mortals. Alright, guys. Let’s chop socky this lemonade stand. Cole, you got the plan?”

“Sure do,” Cole answered, “First, we lower ourselves down the ledge and then- Where’s Kai?”

We looked around for the red-clad ninja before finally spotting him jumping behind a rock to avoid being spotted by the skeleton guards.

Jay sighed, “Let’s go!”

We jumped down the ledge, following after Kai. We hid behind one of the tents and waited until the guard posted there wasn’t looking before running for an overturned minecart, pulling it over ourselves just in time before being spotted. We used the cart to move around unnoticed… That was until we hit a rock. We dropped the cart all the way to the ground.

I could hear the skellies curious noises until there was a cry of pain from one of them. They went back to work after that and we continued to move on.

We came upon a Skulkin from behind just as he spotted Kai. Cole pulled the Skulkin into the cart with us and rearranged him so that he wouldn’t be able to alert anyone. We left him behind and rid of the cart once we reached the conveyor belt.

As we passed by the Skulkins, riding on the bottom of it, I could hear two of them that I’ve come to recognize as Kruncha and Nuckal. Nuckal was going on about some rock that was shaped like a donut.

After leaving the conveyor belt, we scaled a tower and basically did monkey bars over a mine rail before flipping down to hide behind a rock pile. We jumped over to Samukai’s tower and climbed it, finally catching up with Kai who was spying on the four-armed leader through a hole in the roof.

We joined the hothead in watching the leader quietly until I heard Jay lightly hit Kai.

“What’s the matter with you?” he whispered.

“Shhh.”

Samukai chuckled and set the map down on a table before walking over to the balcony to watch his minions work.

“The map’s upside down. They’re digging in the wrong spot,” Jay whispered.

“The golden weapon is near,” Zane whispered back. He pulled out one of his shurikens that was attached to a rope and used it to snag the map from the table, pulling it up to us.

Kai took one look at the map, “There’s no time to waste.” With that, he flipped down without another word.

“What’s with that guy? Always in a rush,” Jay whispered in annoyance.

We followed after the hothead and snuck into one of the caves without being seen by its two absolutely

oblivious guards. We caught up with Kai once again and found him trying to move a massive boulder all on his own.

“Hey, before you race off again, you need to remember; we’re a team,” Cole said.

“Yeah… whatever,” Kai answered.

We all pushed the rock aside together. On the other side were statues of what appeared to be Samurai lining the wall and a dragon head poking up from the ground. The scythe was hovering in the dragon's mouth.

“Woah! That is so COOL!” Jay yelled, his voice echoing across the caves.

Oh brother…

“Shh!” Cole hissed as he drew the scythe. He jumped down, “Not so loud.”

He wrapped the weapon in a cloth.

“Aw, c'mon! Don’t be paranoid! We’re totally on the opposite side of the caves,” Jay replied.

“You do realize the caves could be connected and your voice echoes, so there is a high probability that the Skulkins could hear you,” I whispered.

“Just zip it, okay?” Cole asked, directing it at Jay, “Now that we’ve got the scythe, let’s sneak out while those boneheads are still busy.” He threw the scythe behind for Kai to catch.

I barely caught the sound of rock moving before we left the little room. I turned around and saw nothing had changed. Not really, anyway. The dragon’s mouth seemed a little more open than before but that was probably because it looked empty in the scythe’s absence. I brushed it off as me being paranoid and followed after my teammates.

“Alright, team. Everyone stick together. The way out is right around the corner,” Cole stopped and became face to face with Samukai and his army.

Yelping, Cole jumped back and Samukai drew his four bone daggers.

We readied our weapons and charged through the hoard of Skulkins, fighting as we went.

Jay appeared to be treating this whole thing like a video game, making all kinds of sounds. He even yelled, “Two points!”, after hitting a couple of Skulkins aside. We got separated.

“Kai! Throw it here!” Zane yelled.

The scythe soared over my head and into Zane’s waiting arms.

“Going long!” Cole yelled and Zane threw the scythe to him before being dog-piled.

I twirled my kunai before striking several enemies. While I did excel at hand to hand combat, I much preferred to use a weapon.

“There’s too many of them!” Kai cried, taking down another enemy.

Jay jumped in to help him, “Let me handle that!”

He went on the offensive, making combat noises.

“Hey, guys! It’s just like the training course!” he jumped over Skulkins, kicking them in the process, “Over the planks,” he flipped over more that were swinging their swords at him, “Dodge the swords,” he spun around hitting a charging enemy with his nunchucks, “Here comes the dummy! Cha-ching!”

Jay was suddenly surrounded by a glowing tornado of electricity. He whirled through the cave, taking out several skeletons.

“Woah…!” I breathed.

“Spinjitzu…! Jay, what’s the key?!” Kai asked.

Jay laughed, “I’m just going through the motions! This is what Sensei must have meant when he said we already know it!”

Putting two and two together, Kai mimicked his movements and was enveloped in his own fiery tornado. Soon we were all plowing through the cave in tornadoes unique to our respective elements.

Realizing the danger they were in, Samukai ordered a retreat. We eased out of our Spinjitzu once the Skulkins had all left.

I sheathed my weapons.

“Guess they didn’t want a second serving of these babies!” Cole said, flexing his almost nonexistent muscles.

Kai shook his head, Jay facepalmed, while I rolled my eyes. I turned away from the group and crossed my arms, ignoring the others as they celebrated their first victory together.

I froze when I noticed a giant shadow looming over us. I slowly turned my head up to come face to face with the dragon we had seen the head of deeper in the caves. He had large brown wings with holes in them and a spiked tail.

“Uh...Guys…” I heard Cole whimper.

I guess I wasn’t the only one that noticed…

“Didn’t Sensei say there was a guardian protecting the weapon?” Zane asked.

The others turned to see what we were looking at.

“Is… that… a… That’s not what I think it is, is it?” Cole asked, trembling.

“You mean a dragon?” Jay asked.

“That sure looks like a dragon…!” Kai answered.

The dragon slowly stood up on its hind legs.

“I sense we won’t be able to spin our way out of this one,” Zane said slowly.

The dragon spit out sand and we ducked for cover before trying to flee. We dodged yet another sand attack.

“I thought dragons weren’t from this world!” Cole said.

“Did I not mention that when we first met? Must’ve slipped my mind…!” I replied.

The dragon jumped closer.

“WHAT?! YOU KNEW AND YOU DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING?!”

Kai uncovered the scythe.

“No, no, Kai! Bad idea! Sensei told us not to!” Jay warned, grabbing the red ninja’s shoulder.

“Then you better keep your mouth shut!”

He ran forward, standing in front of the beast.

“Kai!!! Don’t!!!” Cole yelled.

Kai thrust the blade into the ground and an earthquake shook the whole cave. The ground beneath the dragon split and the cave began to collapse. A rock landed on his head as we jumped away. Unfortunately, it didn’t keep him down for long.

“We gotta escape!” Kai said.

We heard a rumbling and looked up. The roof was still caving above us, sunlight pouring in.

“We’ll use Spinjitzu!” Cole said, drawing his scythe for no apparent reason.

The dragon tried to follow us as we used Spinjitzu to escape through the crack. We rocketed out, the dragon barely missing us, and landed on the ground… right in front of Father.

I swallowed hard and approached him as the others celebrated and congratulated each other. I got down on one knee and bowed my head in apology.

“I am sorry, Father. We went against your warning.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder but I could feel the tension in the gesture. I stood next to him as he glared at the other four who were

at it.

“Enough!” Sensei yelled, infuriated.

It caught the boys’ attention to say the least.

“I told you not to use the scythe!”

Cole, Jay, and Zane pointed an accusing finger at Kai.

“He did it!” Jay said.

“What?” Kai asked.

“I warned him Sensei,” Cole said, shrugging.

My jaw slacked at them.

“Using it was my only option,” Kai argued.

“And what makes you think you’re more important than the team? Huh? Huh?!” Father asked, getting in Kai’s face.

“They took my sister, remember?”

“There are still three weapons left. Maybe next time you can do it right.”

Father led our trek back down the mountain.


	2. The Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team continues their search for the Golden Weapons.

Ice and water. That was literally all to see. I guess there’s not much else to look at when you’re drifting through the Frozen Wasteland.

Cole was steering the ship through the giant iceberg maze. Jay was standing on Cole’s left, playing eye spy, while I was on his right. Zane and Kai were further down the deck while Father was balancing on the dragon figurehead up front.

“I spy something… white,” Jay said, looking around.

“The ice,” I answered for the 20th time.

I had been playing along with Jay just to rid of my boredom.

Cole groaned, “Can you try to be quiet for once?” he turned to Jay, removing one hand from the wheel, “This ain’t easy.”

The boat bumped into something, causing it to rock. Cole returned both hands to the wheel.

“Ugh! I spy something broken,” Jay said.

I could vaguely hear Kai and Zane converse below.

“The most powerful move in Spinjitzu can only be accomplished when all four elements are combined.”

I turned my head to Father as he went over the Tornado of Creation with the boys. He jumped down and started spinning, striking a different pose for each element.

“Earth! Ice! Fire! Lightning!”

Jay and I walked down and stood with the others.

“You keep saying, ‘the four elements’. But what about Sheik?” Kai asked.

“Blight is not one of the four main elements. Therefore, I am not included. It’s why I don’t have a Golden Weapon,” I answered.

“Oh…”

“Uh, what happens when all of them are combined?” Jay asked.

“The Tornado of Creation. The power to create something,” Father ‘summoned’ his teacup with his ‘magic’, “out of nothing.”

Kai jumped forward and started doing some spinning and jumping of his own.

“No, Kai. If done incorrectly, it will lead to disastrous consequences.”

“Disastrous consequences. Right.”

The red ninja rolled his eyes and did another one.

The boat crashed on a piece of icy land, knocking us over. I recovered quickly, just in time to see the sails turn to ice.

Cole stepped away from the wheel, “Uh… Wasn’t me.”

“Did I do that?” Kai asked.

“No. We are here,” Father answered.

I ran my hand along the frozen walls of the ice cave but stopped when I saw a Skulkin frozen in a block of ice. I quickly followed after the boys.

“Woah! Looks like someone’s already been here,” Cole said.

We looked up and saw the Ice Dragon. Unlike the Earth Dragon, this one was far smaller and bipedal, possessing winged forelimbs.

“The shurikens...!” Zane said.

Zane jumped up to grab them but was frozen solid, awakening the Ice Dragon at the same time. We ran away, dodging falling icicles and carrying our friend between us. We ended up using him as a sled and zipped back down to where the ship was, crashing into an ice pillar. The ice around Zane broke.

“Ow…” he said.

Gravity taking hold, we fell into a dog pile. Being on top, I quickly jumped off of everyone. The boys slowly recovered and walked over to Father who was waiting with the map in hand.

We looked over the map.

“I say we go after the nunchucks next!” Jay said.

Cole nodded, “We’re closest to them.”

We were climbing the Floating Ruins. Which, let’s be honest here, were just giant nunchucks. And man were they huge.

The entire surrounding area was under an electrical storm.

We were all wearing wings, one of Jay’s successful inventions, so we could glide down from the top of the floating ruins.

We reached the top of the first handle and looked down.

Zane went to the edge, “We are being followed.”

I turned my gaze down and saw Samukai and his army starting to climb up.

“Let’s go!” Jay said, leading the climb up the chain.

He made it to the top first. He pulled himself up and grabbed the nunchucks. We peeked over the edge just as the Lightning Dragon appeared in a flash of light right behind Jay.

The blue ninja jumped over us and started free falling. We followed close behind, opening the wings when we passed the top handle.

We used Jay’s gliders to escape to the Forest of Tranquility where we met up with Father.

Night had fallen and we set up camp, planning to go after the Sword of Fire in the morning.

Jay and Kai were dancing to the beat of Cole’s drum while Zane and Father were meditating. I was lying on a branch in the tree above the boys, leaning against the trunk.

I was tying a few flowers together by their stems to make a flower crown… or necklace. It depended on if I had enough flowers.

“C’mon, Sensei, Sheik! Join us!” Kai said.

“There is still one weapon left. We must get our sleep,” Father replied, firmly.

I nodded and continued to tie the flowers together.

“Ugh! Sensei, Sheik! Hey, look, you gotta admit, we’re kicking their bony butts!” Jay said, confidently as he punched the air.

I rolled my eyes.

“C’mon, get up here! Show us some moves!” Kai encouraged.

“I guess I could…” Father stood.

Oh, this I gotta see.

Father stood, “Now, this move is very special,” he struck a pose.

“But if done incorrectly, will it lead to disastrous consequences?” Zane asked.

Jay, Kai, Cole, and I started laughing and I nearly toppled off the tree.

“Zane, is that a joke? A sense of humor! You found it!” Kai said as we laughed.

Cole started playing the drums again as our laughter faded. Father started dancing.

“Shake what your momma gave you,” he grabbed his beard, “Look at this one, now. Oh yeah. Spin round,” he struck a pose with his beard, “I put my feet.”

Jay, Kai, and I started laughing again and they continued to dance.

I calmed down and finished the circle of flowers. It was definitely too small to be a necklace. I smirked and looked down. Cole was right underneath me. I hung off the branch I was on with my legs and reached down, dropping the flowers on his head. I quickly pulled myself back up and got back into my previous position.

Cole had stopped playing the drums in shock and reached up, pulling the flowers off his head. Jay and Kai were laughing again. Cole looked up and lifted the flowers.

“These are yours, I assume,” he said with a smile.

“Now yours,” I answered with a mischievous look.

“Thanks but I think it’d look better on you,” he replied, throwing it back up.

I chuckled and caught them. Cole returned to playing the drums.

The fact that they had not yet shriveled up and turned to dust brought a smile to my face. This was a rare moment.

“Nya! Wait up!”

I startled awake and fell from the tree, the air being knocked out of me. I coughed as I sat up. I looked around and noticed Kai was missing. I heard his voice in the distance. I stood up and jogged to the edge of the camp.

“That can’t be good…” I breathed.

“Sheik.”

I turned around and saw Father walking towards me.

“Where’s Kai?” he asked.

“He ran after someone called Nya. Is that his sister?” I asked.

Father nodded.

“But… she was captured by the Skulkins, wasn’t she?” I asked.

“Kai is walking into a trap,” he answered before started going after the red ninja.

I glanced back at the remaining ninja before running after Father. He could need reinforcements.

I jumped into the trees and started moving through the forest in a way that was easy for me.

I jumped down from the last tree. The Fire Temple was just ahead.

I spotted Father going across the stone bridge that went over the lava surrounding the temple. I quickly made to catch up with him. I entered the building in time to see Father fighting large shadow versions of Kai with his own shadow. Kai was recovering and who I assumed was Nya, helping him up.

Nya had short black hair fashioned in a bob cut, brown eyes, and red lipstick. She wore casual clothing in red and gold with a gold phoenix as her symbol. She also wore a large golden bracelet with a red jewel on her left arm. She looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old.

Father made a giant falcon shadow puppet appear on the wall, scaring the rest of the shadows off. He chuckled and kicked the last shadow, jumping over to retrieve the Sword of Fire. I jumped over to them and stood next to Kai and Nya to protect them if nessecary.

I let out a tiny gasp when I saw the massive shadow behind all of this.

“Brother, I see you protect one. But what of the other three?”

So that’s my uncle… Yikes…

“They are safe! Far from your grasp, Garmadon!” Father answered, pointing the sword at him.

“I wouldn’t be so confident…!”

My uncle showed us what was currently happening at the Forest of Tranquility.

Cole woke up in front of a Skulkin Warrior and reached for his scythe, but it is revealed to have been taken by Kruncha. Nuckal sat on top of a tied-up Zane and Jay, and Samukai was wielding the collected Golden Weapons.

“I believe these belong to Lord Garmadon now,” he said and the Skulkin celebrated over their victory.

The image faded and I fisted my hands.

“My brother must not unite the four weapons! We must keep them apart!” Father said.

We ran to higher ground and Garmadon rose as a shadow again.

“AWAKEN, GUARDIAN OF THE DEEP! THEY’RE STEALING THE SWORD! YOU MUST NOT LET THEM ESCAPE!”

Father accidentally jumped on top of the Fire Dragon's head as it rose out of the lava. It roared angrily, making Nya scream. It sealed us inside the temple so that we can’t escape. It roared again.

“There’s no way out! He’s taken away all our options!” Kai said.

“All but one,” Father replied.

I looked at him as he jumped on rock suspended on the lava behind us.

“Sensei! What are you doing?!” Kai asked, shocked.

Father cut the rock with the sword.

“NO, YOU FOOL!!!” Garmadon yelled, enraged.

“If he is to bring the other weapons here, then I will take the Sword of Fire to the Underworld,” Father explained as the rock floated down the lava toward the lavafall(?), “It is my sacrifice to pay.” He sat down.

I gasped.

“No, it’s mine! I shouldn’t have come on my own! You don’t have to do this! There has to be another way!” Kai protested.

“No! Father!” I yelled.

Father drinks a last cup of tea before falling off the edge.

“NOOOOOOOOO!”

“FATHER!”

Kai fell to his knees.

“Then I will see you there, Brother!”

Garmadon disappeared, but I hardly noticed.

I shakily fell to my knees next to Kai.

No… Not again… Please not again…

“It’s all my fault. Sensei won’t be able to hold up for long,” Kai said, “I’m sorry, Sheik.”

I shook my head.

Focus on the here and now, Sheik. Remember what he taught you. Protect others.

I stood and turned to face the dragon.

“Forget Sensei… What about us?” Nya asked.

Kai stood and turned to face the dragon as well.

“Okay, a giant fire-breathing dragon is blocking the blockage that covered our only way out. What do we have to work with?” Kai asked.

“Wait! Kai, remember when our father used to tell us stories about the dragons?” Nya asked, grabbing her brother’s arm.

“Yeah… Yeah!” Kai stepped in front of us, “Easy there, big guy. I’m supposed to protect the Sword of Fire. I wasn’t here to steal it.”

The dragon paused and stepped back. It tilted its head before relaxing.

“There we go…!” Kai lifted a hand toward the dragon’s snout.

The dragon pushed his snout into Kai’s hand.

I was in awe.

“Wow…! Who knew you’d be a dragon tamer?” I asked, attempting to joke.

“What can I say? I’m a man of many talents. And now with him, we can get to the Underworld.”

“Really?”

“Dragons belong to both worlds,” Nya said.

“Woah…! Cool…!”

We heard muffled voices from outside.

“Kai! Sheik! Sensei!”

“The Sword of Fire was here, as well our friends, but I only sense loss. We are too late. The elemental weapons have left this realm and are now in the Underworld. The end is drawing near.”

That was definitely Zane.

Kai and Nya climbed onto the dragon and I stood next to the beast, patting it’s leg.

“Ugh...great. The one place no mortal can cross over.”

“We may not be able to cross over,” Kai said, and the whole temple conviently opened up.

I smiled at the shocked faces of the three boys in front of me.

“But a dragon can!” Kai finished.

The fire dragon stood up to its full height and roared.

I jumped slightly when I heard a scream and looked over to see Cole had hid behind a pillar.

Kai hopped down next to me.

“Our father used to tell us stories about the dragons,” Nya explained, gesturing to herself and Kai, “That they were mystical creatures that belonged to both worlds and varied between them.”

Cole struggled to get a sentence out, “Are you insane?!”

“Once he realized we were trying to protect the Sword of Fire, he actually became quite a softie,” Kai said, rubbing the dragon’s leg.

The dragon nudged him.

“Knock it off…!” Kai chuckled.

Nya giggled.

“Dhoo yoo likh bloo…?” Jay asked in a really raspy voice before coughing.

Oh, poor thing. I wonder what happened.

Zane stepped in to help Jay out, “He cannot talk, but he wants to know if you like blue.”

“It’s my favorite color,” Nya answered.

“Yes,” Jay wheezed, pumping his fist.

I walked over to Zane.

“Seriously, though. What happened to him?” I whispered.

“Cole accidentally hit Jay’s throat with the butt of his scythe,” Zane answered simply.

I let out a prolonged ‘Oh’ and pat Jay’s back gently.

Nya hopped down from the dragon’s back.

Kai removed his hood and turned to his sister, “Nya…”

“This is goodbye, isn’t it?” she asked.

Kai nodded.

“Come back to me in one piece, okay?” Nya asked, “I don’t want to have to run the store on my own.”

My heart ached. Why couldn’t my sister and I have that kind of bond...?

Kai jumped back onto the dragon’s back, “I promise I won’t be gone for long.”

“I’ll keep a candle lit outside our shop until you return.”

Jay and Zane hopped onto the dragon behind Kai.

Cole motioned for us to go, “You guys go on ahead. There’s not enough room for all of us on that… thing.”

The dragon turned to him, seemingly offended. I couldn’t blame him.

“You’re right, Cole. But I’ve got a way to fix that,” Kai replied with a smirk.

The next day, we had enlisted the help of the other three dragons. While the boys each had their own dragon, I got stuck with sharing with Jay.

Poor Cole was freaking out, trying to tell his dragon to slow down. I chuckled.

“Woah! This is awesome!” Jay yelled.

“Yes! This is quite fun!” Zane replied.

“So, how do the dragons cross over to the Underworld?” Cole asked.

The dragons started to dive at top speed as Kai answered.

“I think we’re about to find ouuuuuuuuuuuuut-”

We all yelled as we continued to dive. As we got closer to the ground, the dragons did Spinjitzu of their own, as weird as that sounds, and we passed through a portal.

I was still gripping the saddle.

“Okay-I’m so happy I didn’t eat breakfast…” I moaned.

We were in a tunnel with crystal stalactites and stalagmites. I shut my eyes.

“Is it over?” Cole asked.

“Hardly. I hope these dragons know what their doing!” Kai answered.

I opened my eyes as we separated into two different tunnels. Jay, Kai, and I went one way while Zane and Cole went the other. We joined up together again.

“They’re speeding up! Hold on!” Kai said.

We entered a pitch black tunnel before suddenly skidding to a stop in the Underworld.

We were thrown off the dragons from the sudden stop.

“Solid ground! We made it!” Cole announced, his voice echoing in the cavern-like realm.

We stood and looked around.

“Sensei is inside,” Zane said.

Relief flooded through me.

“They’re expecting us,” Kai added.

We swung from stalactite to stalactite to get around without being seen. We stopped for a short break when Jay started to make noises as he still could not speak.

“Can I be the first to say it’s been an absolute pleasure since Jay lost his voice?” Cole asked.

Suddenly, the stalactites we were hanging onto were moving and… making noises?

We looked up and saw that were not hanging from stalactites, but the legs of massive, and I mean massive, skeleton-themed arachnids called Spykor.

We let go out of surprise and fell face first into the middle of the Skulkin horde.

We coughed trying to regain lost air.

I vaguely heard Nuckal in the background asking about the correct plural for ninja as we stood up.

“NINJA!!!”

Thanks a lot, Nuckal…

The Skulkins started surrounding us and we stood back to back with our weapons drawn.

“I count 8 boneheads for every one of us. I think I like these odds…!” Cole said.

I glanced at him, trying to figure out if he was being sarcastic or not. I mentally shook my head and told myself to focus as the Spykor came down from the ceiling.

“Uh oh…! Anyone got any bright ideas?” Kai asked.

Think, Sheik, think!

The Skulkin were taking their sweet time in getting to us.

“Any ideas? I’m still all ears!” Kai said, swinging his sword at a couple of Skulkin that were getting a bit close.

Jay mumbled something incoherent to Kai.

“Huh…?”

“You feel a weird sensation?” Cole asked.

I could make out a ‘no’ from Jay.

“You ate an odd crustacean?” Zane asked.

I listened closely to Jay as he repeated himself.

Wait… Tornado of Creation! That’s it!

“I got it! I got it!” Kai yelled, “Two natives on vacation! Huh?”

I rolled my eyes and Jay sighed.

“Tornado of Creation!” Jay yelled, his voice coming back full force.

The boys ‘oh’ed and Zane pat Jay’s back.

“Welcome back.”

“But it could lead to disastrous consequences,” Cole said.

“We’re about to have a disastrous consequence,” Kai answered.

“Right. Let’s do this!”

I stepped back as far as I could without giving myself to the Skulkins.

“Earth!” Cole did Spinjitzu and the Skulkins backed up.

“Fire!”

“Ice!”

“Lightning!”

They joined together to make one giant tornado, “Ninjaaaa-go!!!”

I backflipped even farther away now that the Skulkins knew they were in for it.

The tornado sucked in most of the skeletons and all of their vehicles before moving across the bridge to the main building.

When they came out of the giant tornado, there was a Ferris wheel where they had been.

I walked over to them while marveling their creation.

The skeletons were all trapped in cages going around.

“Good call, Jay!” I said.

“C’mon! There’s no time to waste!” Kai said and ran off.

We followed close behind him, going down a spiral staircase. I jumped right down the middle and landed on the ground below, Zane following me. We stood in the doorway of the room before us.

Father and Samukai were fighting. Father had the Sword of Fire and Samukai had the other three weapons.

I started to walk forward but Kai put a hand out to stop me.

“No. This is Sensei’s fight,” he said.

Father shot fire from the sword which Samukai dodged. The Skulkin retaliated by throwing the shuriken which froze the sword into the ground, Father’s hand frozen on top of it.

Samukai charged a lightning attack while Father tried to get the sword unstuck. The lightning attack helped him do so. Samukai plunged the scythe into the ground, splitting it three ways.

The bridges fell away as their support moved, making it impossible to get over without jumping a good distance.

I glanced at the others and saw Jay… eating… cotton candy…? Where on earth did he get that?

I shook my head and turned back to the battle in time to see Father get hit by a lightning attack, the sword falling from his hand.

I covered my mouth to hide a gasp as Samukai picked up the fourth weapon.

“Bring me the four weapons,” Garmadon said.

I looked up to see him sitting on a bone throne on the far side of the room.

Samukai picked up the sword and turned to him, “No! You will obey me now!”

Garmadon started to laugh maniaclly as started shaking.

Father jumped over to us, “No one can handle all their power at once.”

“Selfish fool. Did you think I wouldn’t plan on your betrayal?” Garmadon asked.

The weapons were shaking wildly now.

“What’s happening to me?” Samukai asked.

“You’ve fallen right into my master plan. Not even I can handle all their power!” Garmadon answered, “But now they are combined. It will create a vortex through space and time, allowing me to finally escape this ghastly place.”

Samukai turned to face us again and started to hover in the air before disappearing in a cloud of dust.

The weapons fell and a blue portal zapping with electricity appeared, Garmadon jumping in front of it.

“Father would not want you to do this, Brother!” Father said.

“Father is no longer here!” Garmadon snapped.

We covered our eyes as the light got brighter.

“Good and evil! There has always been a balance! Where I go the balance can be destroyed! Soon, I will be strong enough to possess the four weapons so I can recreate the world in my image! You… You were always his favorite.”

The light vanished and we uncovered our eyes. Garmadon and the portal were gone.

Father jumped onto the main platform, us following close behind.

“He is gone… but he will return,” Father said.

I stood next to him while the boys picked up their weapons.

“Then we’ll be ready for him!” Kai said.

“And keep an eye out in case he has any more of his evil plans,” Cole added.

I smiled at them.

“Then I have done my part. The balance has been restored,” Father said before adding ominously, “For now.”

We dropped Father off back home before going to pick up Nya from the shop. The sun was rising as we landed. I jumped off Jay’s dragon and saw Nya and Kai hugging.

Jay quickly jumped off and ran over to them, “My turn!”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him good-naturedly.

Jay and Nya hugged. Cheers from the villagers surrounded us as I walked over to join them and Nya pulled away.

“I’m so happy you’re back!” she said.

“For now,” Kai said, “But it’s not over. Lord Garmadon will return.”

The cheers died.

Cole, Zane, and I joined the small huddle.

“And we’ll be ready for him!” Cole said.

“Yeah!”

The boys put their weapons together which was a huge mistake. A surge of energy threw us back.

Kai chuckled as we sat up.

“Okay! We gotta remember not to do that again,” he said.

We joined back up again.

“Good idea,” Cole said.

“Eh, yeah. We’ll stick to high fives instead,” Jay agreed.

“Agreed,” Zane said.

Everyone laughed except Zane and me.

“Was that a joke?” he asked.

I chuckled at that.


	3. Delicate Foundations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheik getting used to life with her new friends and not realizing that she now weighs a heavy burden.

I stared at the ceiling of my room, one arm behind my head and the other one draped over my stomach. The only light was from the moon.

We’d gotten Nya set up in her own room and Kai had moved to the boys’ room about a week ago.

Finally realizing that I wasn’t going to get to sleep any time soon, I got up and put on my training gi. As much as I always say they look like PJs, I actually really like them. They’re more breathable than my skin-tight suit.

I snuck out to the courtyard and over to the cupboard where we kept the training weapons and armor. I pulled out a staff and began some warm-ups.

After I finished with those, I went through various defense positions, slowly speeding up.

I heard something behind me and because I was caught while training, my reaction time was quick. I spun around, ready to strike, but quickly stopped myself when I saw Nya’s startled face.

My eyes widened and I lowered my staff, embarrassment washing over my features.

I cleared my throat, “My apologies, Nya.”

“Don’t sweat it. It was my fault for sneaking up on you,” she replied, waving it off, “I guess you couldn’t sleep either?”

I ducked my head sheepishly, “Yeah…”

“Mind if I join you?”

I smiled and tossed her my staff before going to get another one.

“I could use a training partner,” I said.

We began to spar.

“So, Sheik, tell me about yourself,” Nya said.

“Well, I’m adopted, I’ve been training as a ninja since I turned seven which was only a month or two after my father took me in,” I blocked an attack, “I am the Master of Blight, so if you ever get sick, you can blame me.”

Nya gave me a look that said ‘Don’t you dare blame yourself’.

I ignored it and continued, “Was there anything, in particular, you wanted to know?”

“How about we trade? Like, you tell me your favorite color and I tell you mine.”

I put a bit of space between us, my cheeks darkening, “Do you promise not to laugh?”

“I promise.”

“It’s... actually a light pink…”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. My favorite color is blue! Favorite movie genre.”

“Action/Adventure.”

“Romance and/or Comedy. Favorite activity.”

“I like playing music and training.”

“I like to tinker around with stuff. Coffee or tea?”

“Tea. My father is a tea drinker so I grew up with it.”

“I’d be fine with either. You ask a few questions now.”

We switched to hand to hand combat.

“What’s the best thing you got from your parents?” I asked.

“A bracelet that I have in my room right now.”

I froze and that’s when Nya knocked me over, pinning me to the ground with her foot, which ended our match.

She helped me up.

“The best thing I received was this charm,” I pulled out a small charm that was two symbols merged into one, “But if we’re talking about Sensei… then the best thing he gave me… was his care and affection, followed closely by a home.”

Nya smiled at me, “Want to go one more time?”

I smiled before kicking my staff up and catching it.

“Yes. And I’ll be the one to beat you this time around.”

Nya and I grew closer as the days went on. We had been continuing our nightly sparring sessions. It was how we got to know one another, learn our boundaries and our limits, and it built our trust.

I often had to remind myself not to get too close. I was still in hiding after all.

I was in the kitchen trying to think of what to make for dinner. It may have been Cole’s turn but he was a terrible cook. And I didn’t trust him in here.

It was weird being the one to cook dinner again. Ever since Father started training the boys, we’ve been taking turns making dinner. I was strangely against the idea.

I decided to go simple tonight and make soup. I pulled out a pot and started to gather ingredients.

Cole walked in as I started adding them in.

“Hey, wasn’t it my turn to make dinner tonight?” he asked.

I took a deep breath and turned to him calmly, “Cole, you’re my friend and I love you from the bottom of my heart, but I don’t trust your cooking. Stay out of my kitchen.”

I crossed my arms and gave Cole a stern look.

“Yeesh! Okay! I get it! You’re protective of your kitchen! I’m going!” he said, turning around and leaving.

I nodded in satisfaction and returned to the stove.

This was starting to turn into a habit. Whether good or bad, I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t been letting anyone but myself cook. I walked into the kitchen but stopped when I saw the boys there.

I stared at them with a blank face, waiting for them to say what was on their minds.

“Sheik,” Cole started.

I lifted a brow and waited.

“We have come to discuss the kitchen issue,” Jay stated.

“You need to let everyone take turns. It is a job we all must learn to share,” Zane explained.

I narrowed my eyes and frowned, “Excuse me?”

“Sheik, you’ve been really defensive and haven’t been letting us make dinner when it’s our turn. And as your friends, it’s our job to tell you that you’re being unfair,” Kai added.

I scoffed, “Unfair? I’m saving you guys the trouble of having to cook. What’s the issue?”

“He means, you’re being unfair to yourself. And it’s not just cooking that’s been an issue. You’ve been trying to take over chores as well. We all have to pull our weight. You can’t just do everything yourself,” Cole added.

“Well, sorry if I’ve always done things on my own! Ever since I came here, I’ve been working really hard to repay my father for taking me in! It’s the least I could do for him! And I never thought I would ever have siblings again!” I snapped.

The flower on the windowsill wilted and died.

I clenched my fists trying to keep my emotions in check, “I’m trying. I really am. But it’s only ever been me and my father. Can you really expect me to adjust to this so quickly?”

The boys' expressions softened.

Kai stepped forward first and placed a hand on my shoulder, “We get it, but you have to understand that we are all beside you. We all want to share the work. You’re no longer alone.”

The others came over as well, showing their support.

“Let’s make a compromise. How about we all make dinner tonight?” Zane suggested.

I smiled, breaking my usual indifferent facade, and nodded.

The boys were out racing on their dragons again, so I was left to my own devices. But I always did enjoy this time to myself. The silence was rare ever since the others moved in.

I used this time to change into my training gi and go outside to polish my kunai on the steps by the front door while getting lost in my thoughts. I leaned against the support post.

Father had been acting strange recently. When I asked about searching to find who my birth father was again, he told me not to bother. Which confused me considering he was the one who suggested we look for him the first time around years ago. So that had me wondering: What changed?

I heard the wing flaps of a dragon outside the monastery that pulled me from my thoughts.

I looked up and saw Jay on Wisp land outside the monastery walls by the stables.

I returned to polishing my weapons, thinking little of it.

Jay walked through the monastery gates with a thoughtful expression.

“Forgive me for prying,” I said, startling him, “But you are never this quiet. Is there something on your mind?”

“Oh… Um…” he looked around trying to think of an answer, “If… you’re… driving at the speed of light and you turn your headlights on, what happens?”

He looked very proud of himself.

I stared at him blankly, “That’s an interesting question. Well, I would ask either you or Zane for that answer, seeing as you both are the smartest out of everyone. So if you don’t know, you should ask Zane… Or look it up. But seriously, what’s bothering you?”

The poor kid looked like he’d done something he’d regret.

He sighed, “I know you’ve been sparring with Nya after everyone’s asleep.”

He looked up at me, probably expecting me to be angry. I just stared at him blankly.

“So?” I asked.

“‘So?’ That’s it?! N-Nothing else?!”

I lifted a brow questioningly, “Why’s it such a big deal?”

He seemed so nervous.

“D-Don’t you h-have feelings t-towards her?” he hesitantly asked.

I paused, just staring at him. I then broke out into hysterics.

“What?! What’s so funny?! I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you!” Jay exclaimed indignantly.

I put up a hand to stop him and calmed myself.

“My apologies, Jay. Just the thought of myself having any kind of romantic feelings towards Nya is so insanely absurd, I just couldn’t help myself. I can assure you that I don’t feel anything but sibling companionship towards her. I’m not interested in any kind of romance anyway.”

“What?” Jay asked in complete disbelief.

“You have no reason to worry, Blue Jay.”

Jay sputtered, his face turning bright red, “B-B-Blue J-Jay?!”

I chuckled, “Sorry. I like coming up with nicknames for everyone. If it makes you feel any better, I nicknamed Kai ‘Hot Head’.”

He snorted, his face returning to its normal shade, “Accurate.”

“I try.”

“What about the others?”

“Well, I’m still deciding between Cupcake and Geodude for Cole.”

Jay laughed hysterically.

“Zane is Ice King and Einstein. And Nya is Misty.”

“Why Misty?”

I awkwardly cleared my throat, “I may or may not be a Pokemon fan…”

Jay gasped, beaming widely, “You too???”

“Um-!”

“What games do you have?”

“...Like… All of them…”

“We should totally play together sometime! What’s your favorite game?”

I buried my burning face into my hands and started answering Jay’s questions.

I hummed a tune as I washed Flame, Kai’s dragon. Since the boys were inside playing video games all day, I decided to pamper their wonderful dragons.

Flame purred as I massaged his scales with the brush.

“There we go. Just relax. You deserve this.”

I ignored a sudden rumble in my stomach. I had skipped breakfast this morning, deciding to wait until after I did my chores and pampered the dragons. I didn’t know it would take this long though.

I felt Kai’s presence behind me.

Without turning around I addressed him, “Is there something you need?”

“Not exactly.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to face him, continuing to absently groom his dragon.

He was eating a sandwich which made my stomach rumble quietly at the sight and smell of food.

“I thought I might bring you something to eat since I didn’t see you at breakfast this morning,” he said, offering me a plate with a sandwich resting neatly on top.

I stared at the sandwich for a few seconds before crossing my arms and looking away.

“I… did that on purpose. It’s called fasting,” I denied.

He sighed in annoyance, “Uh huh. Look, I really don’t know what else to do to gain your trust. But if you don’t want to eat, then fine! Don’t eat! Don’t let me get in the way of your ‘fasting’!”

He set the plate down on a table next to his dragon’s stall and walked away.

I grimaced as guilt reared its ugly head. I glanced at the sandwich before turning away and finishing up with Flame.

Once I did, I started to walk past the plate to go back inside before stopping. I turned back to the sandwich that was practically begging me to eat it.

I shifted awkwardly on my feet before finally giving in. I grabbed the plate and sat down, eating.

I walked over to Kai who was sitting in a chair messing with his phone and set the now empty plate in front of him.

He looked up in surprise.

“You actually ate it?!”

“I did.”

“What happened to fasting?”

“I was never good at that.”

“You… didn’t throw it in a bush or off the mountainside…?”

“I didn’t throw it in a bush or off the mountainside.”

“Seriously?”

“Thank you, Kai… It um… It means a lot to me…”

Kai smiled up at me as I looked away, awkwardly crossing my arms.

“No problem, bro,” he answered.

I was lying on the couch playing Pokemon: Black. I was battling N at Nimbasa City. My team at that point was my Servine, Liepard, Darumaka, Munna, Herdier, and Panpour.

I always enjoyed the time N was seen during the game. He always intrigued me.

I chuckled.

Ntrigue.

Cheesy puns. That was one of the few things the team didn’t know about me.

“Sheik.”

I jumped, startled at the suddenness of Father’s presence.

I sat up and set the DS aside immediately.

“F-Father…! Is there… um… something you needed me to do?”

He stood in the doorway, a solemn look in his eyes.

“Come.”

With that, he turned around and left the room.

I stood there for a second before closing my DS and following after him.

“Father? Is there something wrong?” I asked, falling into step beside him.

We entered his room and I stood by the door.

“No,” he answered crossing the room and lifted something from an old box, “I just decided that it was time I gave you this.”

He turned to me, a golden lyre resting lightly in his arms.

My eyes widened a fraction.

“W-What?”

“It belonged to a dear friend of mine. He was gifted in foresight in one way or another. He must have known that I’d find you someday. He left this lyre with me as well as a message. ‘Give her this lyre and teach her the song’.

He placed the lyre in my arms. I cradled the instrument delicately as if it would shatter at any given moment.

“Wait… So you’re saying you’re friend knew that’d you’d take me in… and he wanted me to have this lyre and be taught a song?” I asked.

Father nodded and I sighed.

“Just another day in Ninjago, I suppose,” I said under my breath, “So, who was this friend of yours?”

“I’d rather not speak of him, little one.”

I puffed one of my cheeks in annoyance at the name. He hadn’t called me that in years.

Whatever…

It had been a week since I had received the lyre and started learning the song.

I’m still not certain of the purpose of all this. But by the way Father had been speaking, it sounded as if his friend had… passed on. I felt as though I were just filling a man’s dying request. I had no clue why I had to learn the song or why Father’s friend, a complete stranger, would want me to have a lyre that belonged to him. It made no sense. But I followed through with it.

I had these thoughts in mind as I stood at the bottom of the Mountain of Impossible Heights, preparing to practice the song. I had recorded myself playing the instrumental on my lyre on my phone so I didn’t always have to bring it along with me to practice.

“-Rising ocean waves of blue,

Beckon from beyond to you,

To heed its calling is your decision,

To make alone,

Weapons awake,

With the world at stake,

A prophecy illustrates what is to come

Potential shines as power intertwines-”

I sucked in a breath, about to continue when I sensed Zane’s presence approaching from behind.

I immediately paused the music on my phone and spun around.

Zane came off the last step.

“Zane? What are you doing down here?” I asked, heat rising to my cheeks.

“I was coming down to get some fresh air when I heard singing and came to investigate,” he answered calmly.

My face flared, “S-So you heard the music on my phone? I didn’t realize it was that loud. My apologies if I disturbed you.”

“You do not need to apologize. I found what little I heard of the song quite soothing. May I ask what it is called?”

I stuttered, trying to find an answer. I had asked Father the exact same question, but he’d said that he didn’t believe it had a name.

“Um... I don’t know,” I finally confessed.

“Oh.”

I took a deep breath to regain my lost composure as silence fell over us.

A breeze blew past us causing my bangs to further get in the way. 

I frowned and brushed them back into place with my fingers.

“I suppose I shall leave you to it then,” Zane said after a minute or two.

I nodded and he headed back up the mountain.

I slumped and let out a sigh.

Now, back to work...


	4. Sheik's Empathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is given a wake-up call when Lloyd Garmadon awakens the Hypnobrai. And Nya and Sheik have some bonding time.

I startled awake when I heard loud grunting and yelling. It sounded like fighting.

I took one look at my surroundings and realized I had fallen asleep outside while polishing my kunai again. I rubbed my eyes and tried to clear my foggy mind.

“Stop trying to do it yourself. We need to attack as a team,” I vaguely heard Cole scold.

The doors next to me opened and I saw Father walk out, looking mildly confused. The training course was out but not on.

I sheathed my weapons and stood up.

“Hey, Dad…” I mumbled, sleepily.

He patted my shoulder in greeting and we headed towards the game room.

Father opened the door and we saw the boys playing a video game. There was pizza in a couple different parts of the small room and their Golden Weapons were carelessly abandoned.

I sighed in annoyance and leaned against the doorway while Father went and unplugged the TV. I snorted in amusement as the boys groaned and complaining about how long it took them to get there.

“Why would you do that?! Why?!” Jay finished.

Father gave them a stern look, “Just because Lord Garmadon escaped through a vortex, doesn’t mean he won’t return one day for the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu!”

“But Sensei Wu, ever since he’s been gone, Ninjago has had nothing but peace,” Zane said.

“Yeah. Peace is boring,” Jay agreed, “There’s no one to save. There’s nothing to do.”

Cole leaned back onto the floor, putting his hands behind his head, “We can train tomorrow.”

I smirked knowing that one of Father’s most-used lines was about to be said.

“Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today.”

I mouthed the along to the sentence.

Cole picked up a slice of pizza, “Weeell, I was going to eat this pizza tomorrow, so if that’s the case…”

Father kicked the pizza out of Cole’s hand before he could take a bite out of it, prompting a laugh out of me.

“No pizza for you! In order for you to reach your full potential, you must train!”

“Uh, remember when we did a little thing called the Tornado of Creation? I thought that was pretty insane,” Kai replied, pumping a fist.

I groaned.

Why can’t they just accept the fact that they need to train? Stop procrastinating and do it!

Father sighed, “You five have merely scratched the surface of your full potential.”

The boys lazed while Father went on.

“There are still so many secrets you have yet to unlock. You haven’t even begun to tap into what powers your Golden Weapons hold.”

Cole sat up and grabbed his scythe, “You wanna talk about secret powers; check this out.”

Cole plugged the TV back in using his scythe, the video game resuming. The boys returned to playing their game.

“Oh my gosh…!” I groaned.

Father sighed in exasperation and ran his hands through his beard.

“Don’t worry, master. We will be ready when Lord Garmadon returns,” Zane assured.

Nya ran into the room and stopped next to me, “Guys, Lord Garmadon, he’s returned!”

Well, that was fast. Are you ready now, Zane?

“He was spotted approaching Jamanakai Village!”  
The boys stood up, tripping over each other in their panic. I rolled my eyes and ran out of the room ahead of them. I ran down to the stables and opened the doors for the dragons. The boys ran past me, attempting to climb on their dragons. And mostly failing.

Cole dropped his scythe as soon as he got on Rocky and Jay tried to be all cool and front flip onto Wisp but instead bounced off the dragon’s head and onto the ground. Zane was the only one who got onto his dragon without any problems, as Kai had to ask for help to reach the reins.

I rolled my eyes again and climbed onto Wisp with Jay.

So far, the flight was peaceful.

“Just like old times, eh, Rocky?” Cole asked his dragon.

“You guys believe what Sensei said about unlocking our full potential?” Kai asked.

“He may be on to something. I mean, since we got these Golden Weapons, it’s not like we’ve ever had to use them,” Jay said, pulling out his nunchucks, “I wonder what they do.”

“You mean, other than attempting to use them as chopsticks, an oven, an arm extension, and horseshoes?” I asked, counting each one on my fingers.

“Oh, C'mon! That was one time!” Jay defended.

“I, for one, look forward to the future. If there is more for us to accomplish, let it be,” Zane said, changing the subject.

“Be careful what you wish for…” I mumbled.

“Don’t know about you, but is anyone a little excited about battling Lord Garmadon? I’ve been looking forward to trying out some new Spinjitzu moves! Could be the perfect opportunity,” Cole said.

“Ha-ha! Race you there?” Jay challenged.

“Oh my gosh!” I groaned.

I held onto the saddle as the dragons picked up speed.

Next time, I’m walking.

“Jamanakai Village,” I heard Kai say, “First ninja there wins!”

The dragons dived towards the ground. I prepared myself for jumping off Wisp as we picked up speed. Once low enough, I jumped and rolled to a stop on the ground.

I did not want to be a part of that mess.

I heard arguing about who was first to touch the ground. I rolled my eyes and turned to them.

“Um, hello?! Not the time! We have a villain to face! So, stop you’re yammering get hammering!!!” I yelled.

My yelling and the terrified screams from the village got their attention.

We ran into the town square, weapons at the ready. A shadow was cast on the walls and a laugh echoed through the square.

“Stay sharp, fellas. Whatever happens, never let your guard down,” Kai said.

I listened more carefully to the laugh and it sounded… different than I remember it being… more… child-like?

I frowned and lowered my guard slightly, completely disregarding what Kai said. It wasn’t Garmadon, that I was sure of.

And I was right.

The tiny hooded figure of Lloyd Garmadon came out from behind the fountain.

Lloyd was ten. He had short blonde hair with a bowl-cut hairstyle and red eyes similar to my own. He wore black clothing, a purple sash around his waist, with white rib-like markings on his shirt, resembling the appearance of his father, which I found adorable. The look was thrown off by his appearance and the small green number ‘5’ on the upper left side of his shirt. He also sported a black hood and cape to make his outfit look more menacing.

“It is I, Lloyd Garmadon!” he yelled.

I sheathed my weapons, the slightest smile on my face at the sight of my cousin.

Well, then. Crisis averted.

He jumped onto the fountain, “I demand all the candy in town, or else!”  
“Lloyd Garmadon?” Jay asked, “I thought we were gonna face Lord Garmadon!”

“It’s his son,” Cole said.

Jay sighed in disappointment.

“Looks like he escaped his boarding school for bad boys again. And to think we could’ve been doing Spinjitzu already!” Cole grumbled.

“Well, look on the bright side; at least there’s no actual danger,” I said.

“But danger’s fun…” Jay complained.

We started walking over to the fountain as a crowd started to gather.

I guess they realized that there wasn’t a threat.

Lloyd faltered slightly when he saw the annoyed crowd but quickly put on his best scary face.

“Uh, give me your candy or else I’ll release the Serpentine on you!” he threatened.

The villagers started jeering at the kid.

I had a very disappointed look on my face. I may be proud of him for being brave, but not like this. Seriously, this is one brave kid.

Lloyd pulled out a container and screwed the lid off, toy snakes flying into the crowd.

Vegetables went flying towards him.

“Unh! No, wait! I asked for candy, not vegetables! I hate vegetables!” he yelled, throwing the lid towards them.

Lloyd dodged as many as he could, but once one person started the rest followed.

I winced as he got pelted with vegetables. What a waste of food.

Alright, that’s it. This has gone too far.

“He’s gonna have to do a lot better than using an old bedtime story to scare people,” Kai said, launching a toy snake.

“The Serpentine are real, Kai. They are not something to joke about,” Zane warned.

“Serpentine? Real? We’re talking about the ancient race of snake-people who once ruled Ninjago and were supposedly locked underground?” Kai asked in disbelief.

“Uh, sealed in five different tombs to separate the warring tribes, and ensure they don’t unify to exact their revenge upon those who put them there,” Jay recalled, nervously.

“It was an old wives’ tale to teach kids not to poke our noses where they don’t belong. Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious no one’s ever found one of their tombs?”

“Hey! As much as I love hearing you debate on what’s real and what’s not, my cousin is up on the fountain being pelted with vegetables!” I snapped.

I then walked toward my cousin and lifted him off the fountain, him banging my head with his container.

“Woah! Unhand me!”

“Look, I’m trying to save you from being pelted by vegetables and being dragged away and embarrassed by my friends, so shut your pie hole.”

“Don’t worry, folks! We’ll take care of this! Nothing to see here!” Cole yelled.

“Bow down to me or suffer my wrath!” Lloyd yelled.

I rolled my eyes and shooed my friends away from me, so they couldn’t take Lloyd. I walked back the way we came.

“I’ll give to the count of three. One, two…” Lloyd started.

“What are you, my dad? You are in no position to threaten me right now.”

Kai caught up to me, “What are we supposed to do? Spank him?”

“...Two and a half!”

“Sheik-”

“Kai, if you even think about doing anything humiliating to him, so help me, I will burn your hair gel and hide all the video games!”

“Woah, woah, no need to be so hasty.”

I gave them one final glare before I stormed away with Lloyd in hand. I set him down once we were far enough away from the villagers.

He gave me the stink eye.

“Don’t look at me like that. I just saved you from being humiliated even more than you already were,” I grumbled.

“You’re still my nemesis!”

“No, I’m your cousin.”

“Wait… You’re my…? ...S-Same thing…”

I smiled and ruffled his hair through the hood, “Whatever you say, kiddo.”

“Don’t call me that! I am evil! I am the shadows in the night! Fear me! I am Lloyd Garmadon!”

“Alright, Owain…” I mumbled, pulling out a piece of candy from my pouch. I tossed it to him, “If anyone asks, it wasn’t me.”

“Why did you…?”

I slipped away before he could look up at me and headed back to my friends.

Jay saw me first as I walked over to the dragons, “So, what’d you do with him?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

I heard a small clatter behind me and turned to see Zane picking up a scroll and handing it to Kai.

“Huh? I don’t remember putting this here,” Kai said, looking at the rolled up scroll.

“That’s my father’s bag, Kai,” I explained.

“You must have accidentally taken it in the rush,” Zane added.

Kai unrolled it, his eyes going wide.

“What is it?” Jay asked.

“It’s a scroll, Windbag.”

“I know it’s a scroll. But what does it say? It’s written in chicken scratch.”

I looked over Kai’s shoulder at the writing, “That’s the ancient language of our ancestors, Jay.”

The three stared at me.

“What? My father homeschools me.”

“Uh, can you read it?” Kai asked.

“Duh?” I pointed to a symbol, “That one means prophecy.”

“Prophecy?” Jay echoed.

“It means it tells the future,” Kai explained.

“Course. Ha-ha! I knew that.”

I rolled my eyes and continued, “‘One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the ninja destined to defeat the dark lord’. Yada, yadda, yadda. Typical prophecy stuff with the unnecessary, stupid, cryptic messages.”

“Oh, look! A picture!” Jay said as a picture the five ninjas appeared on the paper.

Blue, red, black, white, and green. Pretty obvious who they are.

“Dark lord? Hold on, you think they mean Lord Garmadon? Wait a minute… Is that us?!” Kai asked.

“Well, duh! Who else wears those colors and has those weapons?” I asked.

“What’s wrong Sheik? You jealous?”

“Why would I be jealous? I don’t have to do anything. I can just sit back and enjoy the show.”

“You’re cruel.”

“I get that a lot.”

“Is anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Like how good I’m going to look in green?” Jay asked.

“Ha! Isn’t it obvious I’m gonna be the Green Ninja?”

“The color obviously suits me.”

“Technically, I am the best,” Zane butted in.

I facepalmed, “OH MY GOSH!!! STOP ARGUING!!! IT’S NOT YOUR CHOICE!!!”

“Everyone, stop it!” Cole yelled, jumping in front of us, “Remember why Sensei brought us together in the first place: we’re a team. We weren’t meant to see this and probably for good reason.”

He took the scroll from Kai, successfully breaking the argument, “C’mon, let’s head back home. We have training to do.”

We all headed to our respective dragons.

“It’s about time I added some finesse to my routine,” Jay said jumping onto Wisp.

I climbed on behind him, “What routine? All you guys do is play video games and eat pizza.”

Jay stuck his tongue out at me like the teenager he is.

“Well, I could use some exercise,” Zane said, climbing onto Shard.

“Yeah, I’ve gotta work on some new moves,” Cole added.

The dragons flew up. I noticed Kai lagged behind a bit and frowned.

After putting the dragons back in their stalls, the boy started chatting about ‘the Green Ninja’ again.

I sighed and tuned them out. All that bickering about who’s the destined Green Ninja is pointless. It’s not up to them to decide. It’s Destiny’s. And who knows, maybe Destiny thinks someone who isn’t a ninja is the chosen one. You never know.

We walked through the front gates and were met with the sight of Nya going through the training course.

I silently cheered her on.

She was hit by a piece of the course when she saw us, though. I winced.

Jay walked over to her and lifted his hood.

“Hey, Nya. Closer to beating your brother’s speed record?” he asked nervously, helping her up.

“Ah, I’m getting there,” she answered, rubbing her head, “Oh, I heard what happened in town. Just a false alarm?”

The others removed their hoods. I followed suit and pushed my mask down.

Kai walked over to his sister, putting a hand on her shoulder, “Yeah. Uh, but we’re gonna need the space. Sorry, sis.”

“Are we getting back to training?” I asked.

“Weren’t you paying attention? We’re holding a tournament to see who’s good enough to be the Green Ninja.”

I sighed.

Still???

Cole walked over to the cupboard with all the training equipment and pulled out a helmet, tossing it at Jay. It bounced off the back of his head and fell to the ground next to Kai.

I barked a laugh, covering my mouth before any more came out.

“Two matches, then the winners of each face off for the title. Armor’s for our own protection. It’s time to see what these babies can do,” Cole said, lifting his scythe.

I would have asked how his plan for the tournament would work if there were five of us, but decided against it as I wasn’t going to compete in the stupid tournament anyway.

Instead, I stood next to Nya and watched the boys prepare themselves.

Kai turned to his sister, “Hey, Nya, wanna stay and watch me mop the floor with them?”

Nya smiled, “No thanks. I think I’ll just visit Jamanakai Village,” she turned to leave, “Knock yourselves out.”

“I’ll join you if that’s alright,” I said, jogging to catch up.

“Sure!”

“Aw, C'mon! Why does he always bail on us?” I vaguely heard Jay complain.

I shook my head with a smile.

“So, why’d you decide to come with me?” Nya asked.

I shrugged, “I didn’t feel like staying for their ‘who’s the Green Ninja’ nonsense.”

“Green Ninja?”  
“A prophecy they found in one of my father’s scrolls. ‘One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the ninja destined to defeat the dark lord’. I just think their arguing over who it is, is pointless.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“Besides, it means I get to hang out with you more. You’re more down-to-earth than they are. Means we get along better.”

I lightly elbowed her.

Nya giggled.

I smiled and clasped my hands behind my back. This’ll definitely be more fun than when I went the first time.

Nya and I were browsing Jamanakai’s produce when the villagers around us started screaming and running for their homes for the second time today.

“What now?” Nya asked, exasperated.

“I know right? I mean, we were just here.”

A cackle echoed throughout the town.

“Take the candy!!! Take it aaaaall!!!!”

My head turned toward the sound and I saw Lloyd come out of a building with a wheelbarrow full of candy. Disappointment flared but quickly morphed into shock when Serpentine came out of the building behind Lloyd.

I grabbed Nya’s wrist and dragged her behind a nearby building. I watched the snakes with my back pressed against the wall behind me. They appeared to be hypnotizing the villagers.

Dangit!

“Hypnobrai…” I muttered under my breath, “Nya, whatever you do, don’t look the snakes in the eye. They’ll put you under their control.”

I glanced back at her to see her nod. I noticed two Hypnobrai starting to pass by and I pushed Nya further back.

“This makes no ssssense, General. Raiding an entire town for sssweets?” the one with legs questioned.

The big one with the tail turned to him, pointing a threating finger, “You will do as I command! Because I hold the ssstaff!”

“Looks like we found the one in charge,” I whispered to Nya who had pressed into my side.

“What do we do?”

“We-”

“There are more over there! Get them!” a snake yelled, pointing at us.

The general rattled his tail.

“-RUN!!!”

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her with me.

“Let’s hope my father and the others catch wind of the town’s fate,” I said as we turned a corner, “Get up onto the roof. We’ll hide up there.”

Nya jumped up. I followed close behind her. We lay low while the snakes chasing us passed by our hiding spot.

I heaved a sigh of relief, slumping onto the snow-covered shingles, “We should be okay here until the guys arrive. Too bad I left my phone in my other pants.”

Nya chuckled as the adrenaline wore off.

We remained silent for several minutes before we heard a scream from Jay echo through the village.

“That’s our cue!”

We jumped across the rooftops, spotting the telltale colors of the boys hiding behind a corner. I hopped down first, Nya following.

“Nya! Sheik! You’re okay!” Jay exclaimed.

“Barely. They’ve hypnotized everyone in town.”

“Well, besides us, obviously,” I mumbled.

“Mind control? How is this possible?” Jay asked.

“When you hear them rattle their tails, don’t look them in the eye, that’s how they get you,” Nya explained.

Jay threw his arms up, “Well, what are we supposed to do? We can’t use our weapons, and now we have to fight with our eyes closed? Ha! Perfect!”

“What’s wrong with your weapons?” I asked.

“Long story, we’ll explain later,” Kai answered.

“The snake with the staff is the general. He’s the one in charge,” Nya said.

“If we get the staff from him, we can break their control with the antivenin,” I added.

Kai sighed, “Look, guys. Forget about the whole Green Ninja thing.”

Finally!

“Let’s make Sensei proud! The five of us, we’re a team.”

“Now you’re talkin’!” Cole pumped a fist.

Jay turned to Nya, “Oh, and Nya, you can be our honorary member.”

Nya huffed and crossed her arms, “Gee, thanks!”

Dang, that girl has sarcasm.

I shot a glare at Jay.

We found ourselves fighting Hypnobrai not long after.

Three backed me up to a wall and I narrowed my eyes.

(YOU’RE THE REASON MY WIFI WENT OUT, AREN’T YOU?!)

“Ninja go!”

I did Spinjitzu, knocking the three snakes out. Easing out of my Spinjitzu, I heard Lloyd call for a retreat. I turned my eyes to where a majority of the Serpentine and villagers were and saw Lloyd righting his empty wheelbarrow, candy strewn across the cobblestone.

The snakes began to dissipate. I relaxed my stance a bit.

“Cole!”

The yell startled me and I whipped around to see Nya kicking the second-in-command in the face. Cole was holding the staff in his hand with a dazed look on his face.

“You have the antivenin!” Nya said, grabbing his attention.

I front-flipped over to them.

“By golly, you’re right!” Cole said.

“The fountain, Cole,” I said, pushing him in its direction.

“Good idea!”

He jumped onto it and placed the staff in the water.

A light blue mist emanated from the water, following the streams that flowed throughout the village. The villagers’ red, hypnotized eyes returned to their normal color.

We all regrouped by the fountain, letting our guard down now that the Serpentine had left and the villagers were freed.

I lifted my brows in surprise when I saw Father walking towards us.

When did he get here?

Kai walked over to Father with the staff in hand and gave it to him.

“Hm. A great evil has been released. I fear troubling times will come. This is only the beginning,” Father said.

“Then we will train and be ready for the Serpentine,” Zane replied.

“It may not be Lord Garmadon, but that doesn’t mean we won’t bring our A game,” Cole added.

Kai put a hand on Father’s shoulder, “Help us train, help us realize our potential.”

“Yeah, teach us the secrets behind the weapons of Spinjitzu,” Jay said from his place next to me and Nya.

“Hm. There is much to teach,” Father said, guiding us through the streets back to the dragons, “We must return to the monastery.”

Nya and I fell into step next to Father.

Nya sighed, “When am I gonna get my own dragon?”

“I feel you, sister…” I mumbled.

“Patience, little ones. Your time will come.”

I crossed my arms and slouched.

I was practicing with my lyre in my room. Night had long since fallen.

A soft knock broke through the music.

“Come in.”

I set my lyre aside as my door opened. Father came in.

“Hello, Father.”

“I believe I should explain the song to you,” he said, cutting right to the chase.

Well, at least I get answers.

I straightened as he stood in front of me.

“I’m sure you remember the sacred flute,” he said.

I nodded.

“The flute, as well as the song, can break the hypnotic effect that Hypnobrai have. It is not the only thing that the song is capable of, however, I’m not sure of all of its abilities.”

I tilted my head ever so slightly, “What do you know it can do?”

I could feel a little bubble of excitement at learning the purpose of the song.

“It has a soothing effect, can break hypnosis, and quell a raging dragon. I have seen it myself.”

“Zane nearly caught me singing it one time. He said it had a very soothing effect. Although… the lyrics still don’t make as much sense. They’re so... foreboding. You know?”

“Indeed. I have long questioned their meaning… but have not come up with as many results as I would like.”

“The first part does make a bit of sense though. Weapons awakening when the world is in danger? It sounds a lot like the search for the Golden Weapons when Uncle Garmadon came along. And the boys and I recently discovered the prophecy of the Green Ninja, so…”

Father nods, “Perhaps since he had foresight, he wrote future events in song form.”

I frowned deeply and fidgeted, “It’s… terrifying if you think about it…”

Father placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, “I think it’s best that we not dwell on it for now.”

I nodded and Father started for the door.

“Father-”

He turned to me.

“I… I think I know what we should call the song,” I paused for a couple seconds, “Song of the Seer.”

He smiled gently, “That’s a lovely name.”

During training that night, my thoughts kept turning to what the lyrics of the song could possibly mean.

Is the song a warning of some sort? What knowledge do we gain by knowing those lyrics? What are you trying to tell us?


	5. A Bittersweet Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zane stumbles upon Lloyd's new HQ and Sheik learns just what her song is capable of. And poor Link is left in the dark and just wants his family.

The boys and I were training outside-finally-

Cole and Kai were taking turns going around the training course, Jay was deflecting arrows with his nunchucks, Zane was… meditating… and I was mercilessly attacking dummies to improve my technique.

I heard a few confused protests behind me before a white blur finished off the dummy I was about to deal a final blow to.

I blinked a couple times to process what the heck just happened and turned to see Kai, Jay, and Cole all in a similar situation. Zane had charged through their training.

The said white ninja had performed Spinjitzu, freezing the training course in a thick layer of ice. And poor Kai was on the ground, having slipped on the ice.

I walked over to Kai and offered a hand to him. He clasped my hand and I hauled him up off the ice.

He mumbled a thanks as we strolled over to join Cole and Jay.

“This roof isn’t big enough for the five of us,” Kai grumbled.

“Correction. This roof isn’t big enough for him,” Cole replied.

“It’s like he’s in his own world,” Jay said, turning the Zane and raising his voice, “I bet he can’t even hear us!”

True to what Jay said, Zane did not react or appear to have heard a word they’d said. Instead, he simply started practicing with his shurikens.

“It is rude to talk about people behind their backs,” I said.

I walked stiffly over to Zane who had moved on to a dummy. One of the ones I had yet to skewer.

I leaned on a bit of training equipment that wasn’t sharp and watched as he stared at it.

“I’m not sure staring is going to get you anywhere with the dummy, Ice Guy. Unless you have laser vision or something. That’d actually be pretty cool,” I said.

Zane turned to me, “Are you speaking to me?”

“Yeah?”

“But I am Zane. Not… Ice Guy.”

“It’s a nickname. I give everyone a nickname.”

“I see. Do you have a nickname?”

I nearly choked, having been caught off guard by the question.

“U-Um… Yeah… I do… My nickname is Sheik...”

“If Sheik is not your first name, then what is?”

“I’d… rather not say… please… Um… Wanna spar?”

I shifted uncomfortably, trying desperately to get the subject off my name. The fear of my real name and the meaning behind it had festered over the years and I’d rather not bring it up.

Zane nodded. While he can be dense at times, he could tell that it was a sore subject.

We spent a few minutes sparring until the gong that was our doorbell(yeah, I don’t appreciate it) went off.

Kai, Jay, and Cole all ran to the front gates, “MAIL!!!”

I snorted in amusement. They acted like I did when I was younger and always eager to get the mail. My amusement faded, however, when I noticed Zane walking slowly towards the monastery looking upset.

Jay and Kai had returned opening their letters and Cole had run off with a package.

“Hey, Zane. How come you never hear anything from your parents?” Jay asked.

“I don’t remember my parents. I’ve been an orphan all of my life,” Zane answered quietly, pausing in his walk.

I became very aware of my heartbeat. I swallowed thickly, slowly moving to grab my right forearm.

I understood. More than Zane realized, I understood what he was going through.

“You mean you never had a home?” Kai asked.

Zane shook his head.

“The monastery is your home now,” Father said.

Zane didn’t respond. Instead, he continued his walk to the door.

I bit my lower lip and forced myself to head back inside to practice with my lyre.

Dinner time rolled around. We were all sitting at the table waiting for Zane to finish bringing out the rest of the food.

I sat patiently while listening to everyone else make small talk.

“Mm. Oh, I love it when it’s Zane’s night to cook,” Jay said.

I shoved down the feeling of jealousy to maintain my sense of calm.

“Hey, I didn’t hear any complaints about my duck chowder last night,” Cole said proudly.

“That’s because it glued our mouths shut,” Kai replied, “You really thought Jay was speechless all throughout dinner?”

Ouch.

Cole frowned as Jay crossed his arms.

“Yeah. Please don’t make that again,” Jay said.

I didn’t eat Cole’s chowder. It didn’t look edible. At all.

Zane came in with some kind of oven-baked fowl and set it down on the table next to Kai.

“Dinner is served.”

There was silence for a second before everyone(besides me and Zane) started laughing boisterously.

I glanced around in confusion not understanding the joke.

“What’s so funny?” Zane asked.

They calmed slightly.

“Zane, you’re wearing a… Even I wouldn’t wear that!” Nya said, gesturing to the pink floral print apron that I failed to notice.

Zane stepped around Kai and Cole to reach the head of the table.

“You laugh because I take steps to ensure I am clean after cooking?”

“Ha-ha! No, we laugh because you came out wearing that ridiculous outfit!” Kai answered.

“I guess we don’t share the same sense of humor.”

Cole sighed, “Well, how about this,” He grabbed a plate of what looked to be shrimp and shoved it into Kai's face.

Everyone starting laughing again.

I had to crack a smile at that. Kai looked did look pretty ridiculous.

Zane raised a brow.

I noticed Father stand and grab a bowl of… whatever that is. He walked up behind Cole.

“Now, how could you not find that funny?”

Father dropped the bowl upside down onto Cole’s head as the earth ninja finished his sentence.

His scream and shocked face afterward caused another uproar.

Father placed a hand on Zane and Cole’s shoulders, “Now you are brothers,” He gave the ice ninja a wink.

A food fight then ensued amongst my friends.

I stood and left so as not to be dragged into it as well.

Zane had disappeared when the food fight started and hadn’t been seen since then. Everyone was sleeping at that point. Except for me. I was just staring into the darkness of my room, thinking about life.

“Lloyd and the Serpentine are making a treehouse fortress!”

I jumped out of bed and grabbed my lyre at Zane’s yell.

What the heck, man?!

This was not how I expected to spend my morning. Running through the woods searching for the treehouse that Zane stumbled upon. What the heck was he doing out here so late anyway?

I had decided to wear the gi design Father had originally picked for all of us to wear. But instead of wearing a full hood, I only wore a half-mask that covers the bottom of my face.

“I don’t even think Zane knows where he’s going!” Kai huffed.

Tell me about it…

Zane had stopped up ahead, looking ahead, which gave us time to catch up.

We paused next to him and took a breather.

Kai gently whacked Zane’s arm to grab his attention.

“Uh, tell us again how you stumbled upon Lloyd’s secret headquarters?”

“I followed a bird.”

I stopped.

What?

“Why did you follow a bird?” Jay asked, speaking the words on my mind.

Zane shrugged, “Because it danced.”

No, seriously… What?

“Oh, okay. Was it a cuckoo bird?”

Jay, Kai, and Cole laughed at the joke.

I remained silent, trying to analyze Zane’s logic.

“Of course not. Everyone knows cuckoo birds are not indigenous to these forests,” Zane replied.

Got a point there.

Zane ran off again. We shrugged and continued to follow him.

We arrived at a steep drop off. Before us was the treehouse Zane had been telling us about.

We could hear Lloyd giving out commands to the snakes busy with building.

“Holy cannoli, Frosty was right!” Cole exclaimed.

Kai gestured to the treehouse, “We can’t let that brat and those snakes get a foothold in Ninjago. We gotta destroy that thing before it becomes operational.”

“Whoa! Are you sure? It looks like a pretty cool tree house. There’s a rope’s course. Oh, a tree swing!” Jay said, excitedly looking at all the playthings.

“Hey, remember whose team your on!” Cole said, “All right, guys, what do we do?”

“It looks like the entire place is being supported by those three trees. Once those ties are severed, the whole thing is gonna fall like a house of cards,” Kai said.

“But why would one make a house of cards?” Zane inquired, finally speaking up, “Such construction would be careless.”

I heard Kai mutter “Oh brother” from beside me.

“Knowing my cousin, he’ll have set traps all over the base,” I warned.

“Great…”

“Travel in shadows, boys,” Cole said, taking the lead.

I climbed a tree, traveling across the branches to reach the top of the tree house. We met up at the top and watched as a couple of Hypnobrai walk past.

“Heh. It’s almost finished.”

I heard Lloyd’s voice as he came into view.

“Soon, my fortress will be complete… You!”

A nearby snake turned to him.

“Hold up that sign for me!”

The snake lifted a small sign and chuckled.

There was a small click and the snake fell through the floor.

I cringed as I could hear him yelling.

“Booby trap!”

I sighed and shook my head.

We separated to cut the ropes. I went with Jay up to his assigned platform, Cole and Zane going to the other two, while Kai remained on the roof.

“Ninja go!”

Jay used his Spinjitzu to sever the rope.

The building beside us shook leaned away.

Zane cut his next and the building began falling apart, leaning towards the last rope supporting it.

Snakes were falling out of the tree house, the ones remaining, evacuating.

Kai yelled something in Cole’s direction but I couldn’t hear exactly what he said due to all the chaos around us.

Jay and I jumped down onto the roof meeting up with Kai and Zane.

“Where’s Cole?” Jay asked.

Kai pointed in Cole direction before stumbling because of the unstable building trembling.

“Ugh! This whole place is coming down!” he yelled.

We regained our balance as Cole jumped down to us, his scythe in his hands and eye a blood red.

“No one goes anywhere until you deal with me!” he said, slowly advancing toward us.

We backed up.

He’s being hypnotized…! When the heck did that happen?!

He backed us to the edge.

“What’s gotten into him?” Kai asked.

“He’s under their control!/He’s being hypnotized!” Zane and I spoke at the same time.

“Yeah, well, he better snap out of it quick, because this whole place looks like it’s about to go down!” Jay replied before turning back to Cole, “Okay, now, c’mon. Friends don’t hit friends.”

Cole kicked him in the face causing him to recoil.

“Ow… Okay… I-I-I’m gonna ignore that.”

Cole went on the offensive and started swinging his scythe around madly and adding throwing a couple of punches every now and then.

We dodged them the best we could.

I feel so useless. What are we supposed to do?

Cole came extremely close to hitting Kai.

“What are we supposed to do? If I use my sword, this place will go down in flames faster than a tinderbox,” Kai said.

“Isn’t the antivenin in the Staff?” Zane asked.

“Yeah, but the Staff is back at the monastery,” Jay answered.

Cole landed a kick to Kai’s stomach which threw Kai back. He would have fallen off the building if Zane hadn’t grabbed his foot last second.

He swung Kai backup, “Jay, use your lightning! Try to shock him out of his trance!”

Jay pulled out his nunchucks and began charging them up, “Oh, sorry, Cole. This is going to hurt you a lot more than this is going to hurt me!”

He shot a ball of electricity at Cole which knocked him down. We relaxed a bit and waited to see if he was okay.

He sat up looking really, really mad. He shot forward, grabbing Jay by the collar of his gi and punched him off the side of the building.

“Jay!”

Jay’s scream turned into victorious laughter. The tree house shook and shifted, indicating Jay landed on the opposite side of the building.

Hurry, Sheik! Think! THINK!!! Wait… Yes!

I pushed my half mask down and stepped forward, humming the opening music for Song of the Seer. I made sure that my voice was still deepened so as to avoid suspicion. Getting my lyre to do it for me would take too much time which we didn't have.

A soft blue light surrounded me, causing my heart rate to spike.

Cole turned towards me but was backing up, looking uneasy.

“-Rising ocean waves of blue,

Beckon from beyond to you-”

“Sheik, no!” Kai yelled, running toward me.

The blue light intensified, pushing Kai back next to Zane and Jay who had made it back up. I glanced back at him, giving him a stern look before returning my gaze to Cole. I gave him a gentle look and extended my arms, continuing toward him.

“-Rising ocean waves of blue,

Beckon from beyond to you,

To heed its calling is-”

Cole shot forward and grabbed my throat. My focus broke and the light disappeared. I let out a strangled gasp.

“No!”

I brought myself to focus again on the others’ voices. The light returned.

“-Your decision-”

I struggled to take a breath.

“-to make alone-”

Cole dropped me so suddenly that I didn’t have enough time to catch myself, my focus breaking once again.

I coughed several times, reveling in the feeling of air entering my lungs freely. I slowly pushed myself up to a sitting position, taking deep breaths. I looked up to see Cole shake his head.

“Where…? Where am I? What are we doing?”

I heard the wing beats of a dragon mixed with the sounds of Father’s flute. Flame flew by with Father and Nya on his back.

“We’re getting out of here because this whole place is coming down!” Nya yelled.

The structure beneath us shook again. We didn’t need to be told twice.

We sprinted to the edge and jumped onto Flame. The tree house collapsed only a moment later.

Flame gained some altitude as we sighed in relief.

“Sheik, your song-” Kai started.

“It cancels their powers!” Jay finished.

Father turned to them, “It’s as old as the Serpentine themselves. My flute holds the same abilities. But we must hurry! The monastery’s unguarded! Quickly!”

Upon returning to the monastery, we could see that we were already too late. Terrified dragon roars filled the air with the smoke and ash.

All that was left was the burning frame.

I gasped, terror gripping my chest.

“We’re too late! Those snakes…!” Kai growled.

I fisted my hands and pressed my lips into a thin line to keep myself from crying.

“Rocky!” Cole yelled.

The moment Flame landed in what was left of the courtyard, Cole jumped off and let the dragons out of their stalls. We dismounted as well and surveyed the damage.

Kai removed his hood Jay and Zane following suit, “Our home…”

“Shard, put this out!” Zane called up to his dragon.

The ice dragon breathed his icy breath along the frame, neutralizing the flames.

Cole returned, his hood removed as well.

I stole a shuddering breath and Father put an arm around my shoulders to comfort me.

“The training equipment… gone,” Zane said at last.

Jay clung to Zane, “Our video games! Gone!”

“They stole their staff back,” Father said.

Nya walked over to me, holding a beat up, mostly burnt case.

“I found this,” she said, gently setting it in my hands.

I opened the case and saw it was where I put my video games, my charm, and an old photograph of my older sister. At least I had this and my father and friends.

Jay saw the games and brightened, “We still have some!”

I closed the case and held it close to my chest.

“What do we do now?” Cole asked.

Rocky nuzzled him reassuringly.

Kai walked over to Zane and pointed an accusing finger at him, “If you hadn’t followed that silly bird, none of this would’ve happened!”

“Kai,” Father warned.

“No. Sensei, he’s right! Because you, my high score has been deleted!” Jay butted in.

“This is a teaching moment. We must learn from this-”

“A teaching moment? What’s wrong with you? Don’t you get it? Everything is gone!” Cole yelled.

“Stop it, please!” I begged, walking forward and grabbing Cole’s arm.

“Enough!” Father yelled.

We turned to him and I returned to his side.

“We are all at fault. Zane is your brother. Apologize at once.”

Kai, Cole, and Jay turned around but were met with empty space.

“I’m sorry, Zane. I-”

“Zane?”

In the distance, we could see Shard flying away with Zane on his back.

My heart fell.

We had gathered a few things that managed to survive the fire. Mostly just a couple of support beams and a curtain that had blown out when the fire started so it was roughly in good condition. Jay found a can and decided to keep it. No one questioned it, used to his strange antics by now.

We had wandered into the Sea of Sand, the dragons watching from the evening sky. The sand really bugged me but I didn’t complain aloud. No point. I was mostly focused on protecting my case.

I heard a sigh from Jay who was walking on my left.

“I wonder when we’ll see some form of life… This desert is so barren.”

As if hearing Jay’s wish, there was a winnie from a horse.

We looked up and saw three horses with riders on their backs on our path. As they drew closer, I could see there were two women and a boy in his late teens.

The two women both wore a red bra with a brooch, red slack pants, red shoes, and had golden gauntlets along their shin and forearms, a red mouth veil, a jeweled hair clip, as well a long ponytail. Their hair was long and a vibrant red hair, their eyes were amber, and they had dark tan skin.

The boy, however, had shorter, bright blonde hair pulled into a messy bun, amber eyes, and slightly lighter skin. He wore a green headband, a green half-spaulder on his left side, red trousers, golden gauntlets on his forearms and shin, and yellow yellow sandals.

The women held spears that appeared to be for self-defense only.

The boy raised a hand in greeting, “Sav’aaq, travelers!”

The trio stopped their horses in front of us.

“Sav’aaq, friends,” Father replied.

“Where are you all headed?”

“We’re simply wandering for now.”

“I see. I am Link of the Gerudo Tribe. These are my guards, Igasu and Musagi.”

“It has been awhile Link. You’ve grown much since the last time I saw you.”

Link examined Father, “...Sensei Wu?”

“Uh, mind introducing us?” Kai asked, butting in.

“Ah… yes. Link, these are my students. Kai, Cole, Jay, and… Zane is not present at the moment. And this is my son, Sheik.”

I furrowed my brows, distraught at the reminder of Zane flying away.

“I was unaware you had a son or new students. It’s nice to meet you all,” Link said.

I looked up at him and realized that he seemed… familiar somehow.

Link dismounted his horse and gave a slight bow before straightening again. His eyes locked with mine.

“You… are a Sheikah, correct?” he asked before shaking his head, “Sorry, that was rude of me.”

“I am,” I answered.

“Then… Do you know two girls named Lilith and Zelda?”

I stiffened at the names, my heart skipping a beat.

“...I do.”

“Do you know how they are?”

“...As far as I know, both are doing just fine...”

Link sighed in relief, “That’s good.”

“Milord, King Ganondorf requires you to be back at the palace very soon,” Igasu said.

Link sighed again, this time in annoyance.

“All right… It was good seeing all of you. I wish you safe travels. Sav’orq.”

“Sav’orq. And tell the king that I have done as he requested,” Father replied.

Link mounted his steed and nodded to him.

What the heck is going on?

Jay waved to them as they galloped off into the distance, only stopping when Kai slapped his hand down.

“I can’t believe you know royalty and didn't tell us!” Jay said, an excited gleam in his eyes.

“Come. We should set up camp,” Father said, ignoring Jay and walking ahead of us.

We set up a makeshift tent and got a fire going. Cole managed to round up some… mud newt or whatever… It didn’t look very appetizing. But as a Sheikah, an outcast, and a ninja, I’ve learned to suck it up to survive.

“Uh, what are we eating again?” Kai asked, removing his revolted look away from his meal.

“Ugh, mud newt,” Cole answered, taking another bite, “Not bad for something that lives underground.”

“What?” Jay threw his newt down into the fire at this revelation and gagged into his hand.

He threw a rock into that can he brought with him which was resting in front of the dragons.

“Yeah, a new high s-score!”

Rocky grumbled at the disruption.

“Remember, we must be thankful for what we still have,” Father said.

“What do we have? Our home is gone,” Cole replied.

“You know, I don’t miss our home, what I really miss, is Zane,” Kai said.

“As do I,” I mumbled.

“Yeah. I miss Zane,” Jay agreed.

“Zane?” Nya asked, looking off into the distance.

“Yeah, Zane. You know, white ninja? The smart, strange one?”

“No…! Zane!”

Nya pointed behind us and we turned to see the aforementioned ninja approaching with a smile.

“Zane!”

We rushed to meet him, discarding the mud newt.

“Oh, Zane. We’re so sorry for everything we said. We’re a team, and that means we’re all responsible,” Jay apologized.

“You don’t need to apologize to me,” Zane answered.

“But what about all those awful things we said? Isn’t that why you left?” Kai questioned.

“Of course not. I saw the falcon again and I followed him.”

I barked a laugh.

“That’s our Zane,” Cole said.

The others moved to hug Zane. Nya forced me into it as well when I didn’t move to join them. I squirmed uncomfortably.

“We’re happy you’re back,” Nya said.

“Why? Is it my turn to make dinner?”

We laughed at his response as we pulled away.

“Yes, Zane,” Father said, “We would love for you make dinner.”

“But I already made it. Come, I want to show you what I found. I think you will all be pleased.”

Zane then promptly turned around and began leading the way.

We walked for a bit before Zane came to a sudden stop.

“I can’t explain it but I feel a strange connection with the falcon. I think he’s trying to help show us the path we need to take,” he said.

He guided us just around the next boulder. And a large, old-fashioned ship made primarily of wood came into view, its prow adorned with a large red dragon head, resembling a simplified version of Flame.

“Our new home,” Zane said, gesturing to it.

We all let out gasps of awe.

“Do I smell pie?” Jay asked.

“Cobbler berry. Oh, and I made myrtle berry, and apple, and-”

We chuckled happily. Jay, Kai, Cole, and Nya ran for the ship, yelling excitedly. I covered my mouth in an attempt to keep the giggles in and walked after them.

Next thing I know, everyone’s having a food fight at the new dinner table and just having a good time.

Despite everything going on around me, I couldn’t help but think back to our encounter with those Gerudo. There were so many things wrong with that meeting. It’s like I could sense something beneath the surface of their intentions. Like a stone at the bottom of a lake. And it concerned me greatly.

Link

I walked over to my father and bowed curtly before relaxing my stance.

“Father, I met with Sensei Wu. And he wanted me to tell you that he did as you asked,” I said.

Father opened his amber eyes and stared down at me from his throne.

“Truly? Well, I suppose that’s enough for now…”

I lifted a brow in confusion. I hate it when he leaves me in the dark.

“Sa’voe, you wish to be with your sisters again, yes?” he asked.

My eyes widened, “Yes, of course! I want nothing more than for our family to be whole again!”

“Then, I have a mission for you. Seek out Kohga and bring him here. He likely won’t leave his territory without someone forcing him too. And we’ll need his assistance.”

I bowed, “Yes, Father.”

Don’t worry, Zelda, Lilith, we’ll be together again soon. I promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Gerudo word used came from my friend TVFG.
> 
> TVFG's word: Sa'voe; son
> 
> Canon words: Sav'aaq; good day, Sav'orq; a farewell


	6. Ludo's Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fangpyre are awakened and Jay's parents are attacked. Sheik grows increasingly concerned with the Yiga's sudden activity.

It was late, that much I could tell. I was sitting in a corner in my new room, swallowing back another sob. I gripped my head, pulling my knees closer to my chest.

Why? Why does it hurt? I’ve done everything I know to alleviate a headache! Why is this one different?!

Crying wasn’t making it any better but I couldn’t stop, the pain was just too much. And it only got worse.

I was so distracted by the headache pounding against my skull, I didn’t hear my door open.

“Sheik? Are you- Hey, are you okay?!”

I gasped, my eyes darting up to meet the concerned face of Cole. He was kneeling in front of me.

I opened my mouth to answer him only to let out a scream of pain and collapse into his arms. I pulled at my hair as if it were the cause of the horrible throbbing, burying my face into Cole’s shoulder.

I knew Cole was panicking, he didn’t know what was wrong. He grasped my shoulders gently in an attempt to comfort me.

“A-Are you okay?! Do I need to get Sensei?”

I tried to calm my erratic breathing enough to speak coherently.

“N-No! P-Please, just-just stay with me… just until it passes…” I pleaded, “I… I don’t want to be alone…”

A whimper escaped my parted lips along with a shaky gasp as I clutched my head. I could feel beads of sweat slide down my temples.

“What hurts? Can your dad help?”

“My h-head…”

“Wait here. I’ll go get-”

“No! No…”

The pain was beginning to dissipate. I sighed in relief, my tense muscles slowly relaxing.

“I’m okay, now…” My voice quivered as I pulled myself away from Cole, “I apologize for falling on you like that.”

My formal tone was returning, a sign that whatever happened to me was passing.

“It’s alright. You don’t have to apologize. But are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay… But if this ever happens again, promise to come find me. You shouldn’t have to suffer through that alone.”

“...I promise… Please, don’t tell anyone about this. Especially my father. I don’t want to worry him over nothing.”

Cole scoffed, “‘Over nothing’? Sheik, you-” he sighed in resignation, “I don’t like this. But I trust you. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you,” I crossed my arms and stared at the floor, “Was there something you needed? You came in here for a reason.”

“Oh… Right. I came to say thank you for breaking the Serpentine’s spell on me. Who knows what I would have done if you hadn’t been there.”

“Father probably would have made it in time with his flute. I just reduced the risk of not making it slightly.”

“Still. Thank you all the same.”

“Tch…” I looked away, growing embarrassed, “Sure…”

Cole breathed a laugh at my cold demeanor returning full force.

“Get some sleep. We’ve all had a pretty rough day.”

I scoffed after he left me to myself.

Yeah, you getting hypnotized by snake-people, bringing down their tree house fortress, and them burning our home down all in one day is awfully eventful.

I climbed into my bed, using my feet to drag my blanket up.

Whatever...

I sighed and shut my eyes, seeing no point in focusing on what happened. As Father always says, “The past is the past and the future is the future.”

The only problem is… I can’t seem to let go of the past…

The sound of Father’s gong startled me awake. I gripped my pillowcase, willing him to stop. I didn’t feel like waking up. I got a full night of sleep… yet I felt so tired.

I forced myself out of bed and sluggishly dressed. Father had replaced my Sheikah Armor, and I went back to wearing that instead of my gi.

I dragged my feet as I made my way through the halls.

Father stepped out of the boys’ room, gong in hand.

“Good morning, Sheik. I thought you would have been up earlier than the others. Are you feeling well?” he asked.

I nodded, “I’m just really tired for some reason… I’ll be fine in a little while.”

Father hummed, “Alright. Today you all will be focusing on chores. Nya and I are heading out to gather groceries. I trust you will look after others while we're gone.”

I bowed slightly to him, “Of course. You can count on me, Father.”

He nodded and wandered off to collect Nya.

I sighed deeply and ran my fingers through my bangs.

“Hey.”

I glanced up and noticed Cole standing in the doorway to his shared room.

“Hi.”

“You feeling any better today?”

I folded my arms as I leaned against the wall behind me.

“I guess. I'm just really tired.”

“I'm not surprised. You looked really drained yesterday.”

I shrugged, “Whatever the case… I’ll go start cleaning up.”

I hurried away before he could say anything more.

After a good couple of hours of work, we finally got the Destiny’s Bounty fixed and up to date. The guys played their video games while began to doze off in the chair behind them.

I startled fully awake when Nya and Father opened the door to the room.

“Wow! This play looks… amazing! You guys did all this?” Nya asked.

Cole turned to her briefly, “Ninja don’t just fight, Nya. We clean.”

“Oh, you have exceeded my expectations but can you keep it up?” Father asked.

I heard a car horn in the distance and it seemed Nya did as well. I ignored it and shut my eyes once again.

“It looks like we’re about to have some visitors. And loud ones at that,” Nya said.

I moaned and curled inward as if that would help. I don’t want any visitors today… I opened my eyes.

No point now...

“Oh, it’s my parents,” Jay said, “Please, if they start yapping, just don’t get them going, okay? They don’t know when to quit! If you start talking, then they’ll start talking, and suddenly half the day is gone before you know it and it’s not even-”

“We get, Jay! They talk a lot! Now, please, for the love of Ninjago, please be quiet!” I quickly butted in.

“The cherry doesn’t fall far from its blossom,” Kai muttered in agreement.

Zane shut off their game.

“Well, let’s get a move on,” Cole said, standing.

I huffed in annoyance and stood.

I don’t know why I’m so out of sorts today… I hate it…

I followed my friends out to greet Jay’s parents. We made it to the deck just as they had parked their car.

“Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, look, it’s my baby boy!” Mrs. Walker said, “It’s been so long since we’ve heard from you!”

“Ma, I called you two days ago,” Jay replied.

Jay’s parents hopped out of their car as we came to a stop just after the ramp to get down from the ship.

“Well, it’s not soon enough, son,” Mr. Walker chuckled, “When are you coming down to the junkyard? You say you’re coming and then you don’t.”

“We’ve had a rough few days, Dad. And do we have to talk about the junkyard in front of my friends?”

“He hates it when we tell people he was born in a junkyard,” Mrs. Walker gestured to Jay before spotting Nya, “Oh, and who are you? You are so cute! You’re just my son’s type.”

“Mom!”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you. I’m sure if you want, Jay can give you the tour. He worked very hard on it,” Nya said politely.

“We love a tour!”

Jay sighed and guided everyone back inside.

I stayed at the very back of the group and tuned everyone out.

I wonder what the Yiga are doing… I haven’t seen a single sign of them in years… It’s almost concerning. They swore to find and kill me. And for sport of all things. It’s like I’m some creature to be hunted. So why did they disappear all of a sudden?

“And what’s your name, dear?”

I looked up to see Mrs. Walker staring at me.

“My name is Sheik.”

“‘Sheik’? I feel as though that name is familiar…”

“I am named after the Sheikah Tribe.”

“Yes, that’s it! I remember meeting some of your people. Though, they seemed intent on searching our junkyard for something.”

“Yeah, they were not very nice people. No offense,” Mr. Walker added.

I scowled at the reminder, “I know they’re not nice people. Most of them, anyway. I apologize for anything rude they may have done.”

“Uh, Dad, Mom, let’s maybe not bother Sheik about that,” Jay said, slowing to our pace.

I shot a discreet look of gratitude to the Lightning Ninja as he dragged his parents off to continue the tour.

The tour lasted the rest of the day due to the others stopping and talking for an extended period of time. I left them to it after about an hour in, claiming to have a headache. Not the smartest excuse on my part considering what went down last night. Poor Cole appeared really concerned when Father gave me the go-ahead to excuse myself.

I spent the rest of the day reading and playing Fire Emblem, Kai coming down to tell me when Jay’s parents left at around evening hours.

???

Shadows danced around me as I patiently waited for the tiny brat who keeps allying himself with the Serpentine to show up.

Though I was fiercely loyal to Chief Kogha, I thought about his recent foolish actions. Associating us with the Gerudo Tribe was stupid, almost suicidal.

Our previous war with them, the Sheikah Tribe, and the Elemental Masters came extremely close to wiping out the Yiga Clan completely. Allying ourselves with our former enemies against our common enemy, the Royal Family of Ninjago, was only a good enough reason to a certain extent. Chief Kogha had been leaving everyone in the dark so far, only giving us vague orders.

Our assassins were still out trying to locate the Sheikah child. So that left me to team up with the brat and the Fangpyre. How did one of my peers so wisely put it?, “Siding with the lesser of two evils, is still siding with evil.”

I was pulled from my contemplation as my targets arrived. Using a Deku Nut, I appeared in front of the kid and the Fangpyre general, Fangtom.

“Greetings from the Yiga Clan. I am Ludo and Master Kogha has a proposition.”

Sheik

I was back to normal the next day aside from not getting much sleep.

Jay was back to work on ‘the button’. Which left enough time for Kai, Cole, and Zane to drag me into one of their shenanigans.

“C’mon, we’re going to get Jay to visit his parents,” Kai said, shoving a few pots into my arms and a chair into Zane’s.

We entered the bridge where Jay was kneeling in front of a control panel. We wandered past him as he worked diligently.

“Sure got a lot of junk piling up! If only there was a place to get rid of it!”

I rolled my eyes at his lack of subtly. Of course, it’s necessary for this situation, but he could have worded it better.

“If you don’t mind, I’m trying to focus,” Jay said, turning to us in annoyance.

Hehe… There’s a grease smudge on his face and yet he still manages to be adorable… Wait. What? Shut up, Sheik! You’re the stoic one!

Cole joined us by the wheel, a phone held up to his ear.

“Hi, Mom and Dad! Of course, I’d love to visit! What kind of son would I be if I didn’t want to-?”  
Jay let out a sarcastic laugh and stood, turning to face us.

“I know what you’re trying to do. Okay, l-l-look, I might have promised to visit my parents. But there’s a lot of stuff on my plate.”

Nya pushed the door open and strode in, Jay wiping the smudge once he noticed her.

“Heh-heh. Hi, Nya.”  
“You going to visit your parents today?”

“Uh, sure am. Just about to leave.”

“Tell them I say ‘hi’.”

Aaaaaaaaand she’s gone. Evil genius…

We shot glares at Jay.

“What? So my plate’s not that full.”

I scowled and shoved the pots into Jay’s arms before stomping out.

“Woah. What crawled under his pillow and died?” I vaguely heard Kai say.

I wandered out to the dragons’ makeshift stalls and plopped onto the ground cross-legged beside Flame. He appeared a little down today. In fact, so did the other dragons…

Could… Could they be molting…?

I grew saddened at the thought. They would be leaving soon then…

I stood and reached a hand out to Flame.

“I’ll miss you, big guy.”

He pressed his snout into my hand. I slide my palm against his warm scales and hummed a tune. A deep sigh passed through my lips.

“I’m sorry I can’t offer anything more.”

A purr rolled from the Fire Dragon’s throat as if to say that it was enough.

I bid my farewells to the other dragons, singing each of them a little tune.

Just as I finished up with Wisp, Father and my friends came out to see Jay off. I backed away from the Lightning Dragon so Jay could get to him.

Not even a minute later I hear the blue ninja pulling his dragon’s reins.

“Come on, Wisp! It’ll be a quick visit. Just in and out. Nothing more.”

“Hm, it is as I suspected. The dragons are molting,” Father said, coming out of Wisp’s stall, “They’re shedding their scales.”

“What does that mean?”

“Every adolescent dragon goes through a transformation before it becomes an adult, Blue Jay. It’s dragon puberty,” I said, moving to stand next to him.

“We must allow them to migrate east to the Spirit Coves for their transformation,” Father continued.

“Will we see them again?” Jay asked as Zane, Kai, Cole, and Nya walked past us to get to their dragons.

“It is hard to say. But we need to allow them to follow their path.”

“Rocky’s going east?” Cole hugged his dragon friend, “Say it isn’t so, Rocky.”

Seeing their faces so distraught at the revelation weighed heavily on my heart.

“Don’t worry, guy,” I said, trying to lift the mood, “I’m sure we’ll see them at the end of the season.”

Everyone gave me weak smiles at my attempt.

Jay wandered over to Flame’s stall where Kai and Nya were saying their goodbyes to the dragon.

“Well, I guess I gotta go on this long walk all by myself. Sure be nice to have company.”

I smirked at this, incredibly amused as he subtly tried to ask Nya to join him.

“Of course, we’ll go buddy!”

“I could use a break!”

“All you had to do was ask.”

I covered up my small chuckles by hiding my face in Father’s shoulder as the rest of guys missed Jay’s intended meaning.

We watched the dragons fly across the sky as we walked along the main road, Father playing his flute.

I quietly sang the lyrics to myself every now and then as trekked on.

“Of all the days to lose our ride…” Jay mumbled.

Zane walked alongside me and Father.

“That flute… and song, you’ve never told us why they’re so special.”

“Long ago, there were many flutes created to combat the powers of the Serpentine and drive them underground. But over time, Ninjago’s forgotten the wisdom of its ancestors’ wisdom, and now this and two others are the only ones left,” Father turned and played the flute in Jay’s ear, in turn, causing the blue ninja to wince.

He rolled his eyes and brushed past Father, “I get the lesson; respect your elders or else suffer the consequences. Boy, you guys are laying it on thick.”

Father chuckled, “Perhaps you are only hearing what you need to hear.”

“And what of the song, Sensei?” Zane asked though he was staring at me as he said this.

Oh, crud! Don’t tell me he remembers back when he nearly caught me singing.

“That song was created long, long ago and passed down through many generations. If sung or played by just anyone, it holds no power. But if sung by the descendants of the one who created it, it holds many abilities. The song holds the same power as the Sacred Flute and more. The song’s lyrics are a riddle in themselves. One that Sheik and I have only just begun to figure out.”  
Waaaaaaait a second… Only those who are descendants of the one who wrote the song can utilize its powers? AND IT’S USELESS TO THOSE WHO AREN’T?!

I stare at my father in disbelief.

“Are you saying that not only do you know who-but you knew that-”

I stopped myself and massage my temples, releasing an irritated sigh.

“Forget it. We’ll talk later.”

We’d arrived. Jay paused in front of the archway.  
“What is it?” Nya asked.

“It’s quiet. My family’s never quiet.”

We pulled on our hoods, or in my case lifted, and we ran into the junkyard. Jay glanced around before running over to an old fridge. He kicked it open and gasped.

We joined Jay to see his parents chained up and mouths taped.

“What happened? Who did this?” he asked, quickly removing the tape.

“Sweetheart, you came!” Mrs. Walker said.

“Oh, you gotta get outta here! You shouldn’t have come! It’s the sssnakes!”

My eyes widened as I heard the hiss in their voices.

“Father, the bite of the Fangpyre!” I said, turning to him.

“Once they sink their teeth, their venom can turn anything into a serpent,” he explained as Jay freed his parents.

They hopped out of the fridge.

“It’s only a matter of time before the full transformation is complete.”

Mrs. Walker covered her mouth as Mr. Walker sprouted a small tail.

Loud hissing pulled our attention away. Fangpyre foot soldiers came around from a mountain of tires with a wrecking ball.

“Uh, is that wrecking ball staring at me?” Cole asked.

The metal ball swung toward us.

“DUCK!!!”

I dove out of the way, as did everyone else, dirt blinding me momentarily. I recovered swiftly, as did my teammates and we found the ones charge on the roof of the Walker’s trailer. Though, I was a little more fearful than the others.

“Lloyd!” Father yelled.

Lloyd, the Fangpyre general, and… a Yiga.

“Hello, uncle. Hello, cuz. Looks like we’re not the only family reunion. I’m glad you brought the ninja. I could use some help taking out the trash,” Lloyd finished his mini-speech with an evil cackle.

The Yiga beside him facepalmed and shook his head disapprovingly.

Nya turned to Jay, “If we want to turn your parents back, we need the antivenin from the staff.”

The wrecking came hurtling toward is again.

“Second dose, to the dirt!” Cole pointed out.

We narrowly dodged the second attack.

“Easier said than done, sis,” Kai said, drawing the Fire Sword, “We’re a bit outnumbered.”

“Nobody messes with my family!” Jay yelled, lifting his nunchucks.

He powered through the first wave of snakes easily, prompting us to follow suit. However, I was forced to come to a halt as the Yiga jumped down in front of me.

“You! Sheikah! FACE ME!”

I stiffened, staring at the masked man before me. My heart beat loudly in my chest as time seemed to almost slow down. I steeled myself, drawing my kunai and narrowing my eyes dangerously at the traitor.

I let out a thunderous roar and charged at the Yiga with a speed that surprised me. Our blades locked, sparks flying as the metal screeched deafeningly. I was the first to backflip away but went straight back in, my attacks harsh and merciless. Neither one of us were landing hits on the other, always blocking in time.

“Tell me, how long did you think you could hide?” the Yiga asked as we crossed blade once again.

I snarled, “Long enough to get a stable footing,” With my words spoken, I continued to bear down on him, my anger fueling strikes.

“Well, kid. It seems you still have a lot to learn, “ he said.

It only took a few seconds for me to realize I had fallen for a feint as he landed a hit on my left side. I growled as I felt the burning pain and dropped my weapons, falling to my knees. I pressed a hand against the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

I’m sure he only nicked me but DANG DOES IT HURT!!!

“Sheik!”

“Stay out of this, Red. This isn’t your fight.”

“You hurt my brother. It’s sure as heck my fight!”

I tried to steady my breathing as Zane came to my side and Kai fought off the Yiga.

“That was foolish of you,” he said as he lifted me into his arms.

I coughed, “I know…”

Zane placed me on the ground next to Father, Nya, and Jay’s parents before racing off to help his brothers. I noted the Walkers’ transformation was getting worse.

Father immediately knelt beside me and removed my mask using it as a makeshift bandage. As he did this, I watched as the rest of the team fought off the giant green statue that reminded me of a certain blue and red bot. I guess I missed that thing while I was fighting that Yiga.

Once Jay took it out with the wrecking ball, Lloyd called for a retreat. He, the General, and the Yiga escaped in a snake helicopter.

Father helped me stand and supported me as we moved to join the boys.

Nya ran forward, “He’s getting away with the staff!”

“Ah. Right now would be a good time to have those dragons,” Jay said.

Mr. Walker weakly placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, “I’tsss okay, ssson.”

“There is still a way,” Father intervened.

“How?” Jay asked.

“Part of reaching your own full potential is understanding you weapon’s potential. Once it is in tune with a focused heart, its secrets and powers can be unlocked.”

Jay groaned in annoyance, “This is not the time to be cryptic!”

I snorted in amusement, wincing afterward from aggravating my wound, “It’s a bad habit of his.”

“He’s saying our weapons are vehicles themselves,” Zane explained.

Wait, how’d he get that from-You know what, I’m not even gonna bother questioning it.

Kai lifted his sword, “Don’t tell me I have to ride this like a broomstick.”

I smirked. What a sight that would be.

“Jay, concentrate on unlocking your golden weapon. Let your heart guide you. Imagine you’re taking flight,” Father continued.

Kai, Zane, and Cole stepped back to give Jay some room as he started swinging his nunchucks around. With a flash of lightning, Jay was inside a blue jet.

“Woah! Ha-ha! Did I just do that?!”

The others followed suit, Kai and Zane getting bikes and Cole getting… a land vehicle of some kind.

“I hate to hurt Rocky’s feelings, but I think he’s just been replaced,” Cole said.

Jay zips off into the sky and the rest follow from the ground.

Nya glanced at Father, “Does your flute turn into anything?”

Father stared at his flute, “I wish.”

I scoffed out a laugh only for it to turn into a pained cough.

“Oh, it’sss alright. We can take the Jalopy,” Mrs. Walker said.

Next thing I know we’re catching Jay who had lost focus mid-flight. Nya stopped beside the other three who had also lost focus trying to catch their friend.

They were staring at their weapons in confusion while the Fangpyre army advanced toward us.

“Ugh, why isn’t it working?!” Kai asked.

“Your weapon is merely an extension of your mind!” Father said, “If your mind is immobile, so is your weapon.”

“Oh, boy. Oh, guys. Oh, golly. Oh, duh. Get in boysss!”

They jumped onto the back of the car as I was taking up the last seat in the very back.

“We have to get back to headquarters!” Jay said.

We sped off. It only took us a few minutes, considering the Bounty wasn’t far. We boarded the ship, Nya going with Jay’s parents to reverse the venom, the boys heading to the bridge, and Father took me to my room.

After a few minutes of him tending to my wound, the ship shuddered as if we were taking off. Looks like Jay did it.

I sighed in relief with the knowledge that we could relax. Father finished up and placed a hand on my forehead.

“Rest up. We can talk later.”

I nodded. Satisfied, Father left, leaving me to my thoughts.


	7. A Child's Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheik is still healing and frustrated with the lack of inaction. And we get a peek into Link's daily life.

I glared at the floor as I waited for Father to finish checking how my wound was healing. It had been a couple of days since the Fangpyre debacle and I had been resting since then, albeit begrudgingly.

“You are healing nicely. I am allowing you to get up and move around as long as you don’t strain yourself. Are we clear?” Father asked.

“Yes, sir. Anything to get out of bed rest,” I mumbled the last sentence to myself though I’m positive he heard me.

“Good. I will be on the deck with the others for stretches. You may cautiously join if you wish.”

He left without another word or room for a reply. I huffed in slight annoyance and began the tedious process of putting on my armor.

“Stupid Yiga… Wouldn’t have to wear this stupid armor were it not for them… Stupid Sheikah… It’s their fault for this anyway…” I grumbled as I walked out onto the deck.

The team was doing the Pinching Crab. Well.. sorta. Zane was pretending to focus while the other three weren’t bothering to disguise their lack of it as they continued to speak to Zane. I furrowed my brows.

What could possibly have them distracted this time? What the heck did you do, Zane?

I stalked over there and pulled Kai’s hair as he was he was the one currently chattering away.

“Oh-ow-ow-ow! Hey!”

I leveled a glare the four of them as Father came over, having also noticed their lack of focus.

“It is extremely disrespectful to ignore your teacher,” I said.

“What was so important to ignore my teachings?” Father asked.

“Uh, nothing!” Kai said.

“It was nothing, Sensei,” Jay added.

“Yeah, we don’t talk while you teach,” Cole agreed.

“Everyone was paying attention,” Zane said.

“Since you all appear to be lacking in focus, then you can all share in the punishment,” Father said.

Another whole round of protests was made as well as pointing fingers.

“Would you all shut up and listen?! It is not your place to try and avoid discipline! When you knowingly do something wrong, you need to own up to it, not lie and try and blame it on someone else!” I scolded.

The boys at least had the mind to look somewhat shameful.

“No free time and no video games. The rest of today can be used for training. And tomorrow for that matter,” Father said, starting to walk away.

“Training? For how long?” Kai asked.

“Quit whining, Kai,” I grumbled.

“Until you can answer this simple riddle,” Father answered, “What is the best way to defeat an enemy?”

“Really? You’re going with that one? That’s one of the simplest riddles-”

I was cut off by a ton of different and wrong answers coming from the boys that left me shocked.

Father sighed, “Pace yourselves. You have a lot of training ahead of you,” he said as he climbed the stairs, “Make sure you sharpen your mind as well as your Spinjitzu.”

The boys slumped as Father went indoors and went to retrieve their training equipment.

“Ah, what’s the best way to defeat an enemy? It could be anything!” Cole said as he lifted a staff.

“Come on, guys, we’re smart. We can figure this out,” Jay said as he started up the training course.

Kai slammed a fist against the punching bag in front of him, “Yeah, but let’s hear more about this dream.”

“Dream?” I echoed.

“Yeah, it’s what had us ‘distracted’ to begin with,” Jay replied, making air quotes.

“Do I dare ask what it was about?”

“The Green Ninja!”

“And this is where I leave you guys to it,” I said pointing off in a random direction.

“Huh? But what about training?”

“I’m still injured and Father went all ‘Doc’ on me and told me not to do anything strenuous. Besides, I already know the answer to the riddle and he knows that.”

They groaned as I made my way below deck.

Link

I grunted as I fell to the ground once again, battered and bruised. Training with my father’s two most trusted advisors was never fun.

“Your form needs excessive improvement,” the twenty-six-year-old, light grey-skinned man standing over me critiqued.

(Description taken from Zeldapedia)Ghirahim, a slim Sheikah man with brown eyes, purple eyeshadow, white lips, and white hair with his left bangs obscuring his left eye, a diamond birthmark on his left cheek, as well as wearing a four-part cape with a collar, two gold buckles resembling diamonds, and colored red on the outside and black-and-yellow diamond patterns on the inside. He also wore blue diamond earrings, and had a gold bracelet around his right bicep, as well as wore white fencing gloves with four diamonds on each glove lining from the wrist to the elbow, and a white fencing outfit that had seven small diamonds across the front and back of each leg, and two larger diamonds on the front, plus a gold sash with a red diamond on the right side.

I scoffed as I sat up, refusing to stand up again.

“I’m much better with a weapon than I am without one…” I grumbled.

“We all are, me especially. But you need to be prepared for the moment you lose your weapon in combat. You need to be able to defend yourself without one.”

Despite his overconfident and flamboyant front, I knew he meant well. He was only trying to prepare me for the inevitable war that was brewing on the horizon.

“Suck it up, kid. Real battle is far more extreme than your little tickle sessions here with us,” the masked, thirty-two-year-old Zant said from the side of our training grounds.

Zant only wore his long, dark robes and it was a wonder that they didn’t get in the way what with the super long sleeves that covered his hands. His helm was reptilian style and almost no one knew what his actual face looked like. Not even I knew.

“I don’t exactly want to come out with a bunch of scars like my father,” I said, busying myself by flicking sand off my armor.

“Well, sorry to disappoint, young master, but that comes with fighting in a war. We war veterans all have scars to prove it,” Ghirahim hissed, scrunching his face up in obvious disgust, though at what, I couldn’t be sure.

“You have scars? I haven’t seen any… Unless they’re hidden under your clothes,” I commented, leaning back on my arms.

Ghirahim scoffed, “That’s because I went to great lengths to cover them up. Why do you think I wear my hair the way that I do?” He brushed his hair aside, revealing the left side of his face and the ear that was previously covered up by his white locks… or what was left of his ear.

My heart stuttered at the sight, my eyes blowing wide. I knew how nasty scars could be. I mean, if my father’s many scars were anything to go by, and all the time I spent with men that fought in the Yiga Revolt. But this was on a whole new level that I hadn’t seen before. Yes, some people were blind in one eye or were missing a limb or two, but I had never seen a mauled ear.

Ghirahim let his hair fall back into place and turned away from me. I ducked my head shamefully. I had obviously hit one of the Master Swordsman’s nerves.

“I… I’m sorry, Ghirahim… I didn’t mean to hit a sore spot…”

“Hmph, I don’t know what you’re babbling about. Get up and fight, otherwise, you can forget that Sand Seal race you’ve been talking about all week.”

My tutor spun on his heel and faced me, arms folded and chin up.

I reluctantly pushed myself off the ground, realizing the small break was over.

“Your father is going to kill me…” Ghirahim grumbled irritably as he stood over me.

“Can’t you have any sympathy?! I bleeding here!” I seethed.

“Did you expect me to cuddle you or something, young prince?”

“Seriously?!”

The wound on my thigh was minor compared to some of the ones I’ve seen but it still stung like crazy and would most likely get infected if I continued to lounge around in the sand. I guess Nabooru was right about my reckless behavior. Curse my sense of adventure! ...I don’t really mean that.

“You and I both know that Zant is typically the one to cover the medical and political areas,” Ghirahim said.

“And you’re the one who covers the military strategy and communications. I know. You’ve only ever told me a gazillion times since I was eight.”

“Patience, young master. I have already called for assistance.”

“Would you stop calling me that?!”

“It is considered highly disrespectful if I were to call you by your name.”

“Do I look like I care much for formalities?”

“You’ve lost quite a bit of blood, you’re not thinking clearly.”

“Says you!”  
A voice from behind me startled us both, “Good grief! Do you two always bicker like this when I’m not around?”

Ghirahim scoffed at his partner and turned away, “About time you showed up. If you had taken any longer I might have had to be nice for once.”

“Not like you’re a walk in the park any other day,” mumbled the CMO.

I stifled a laugh as Ghirahim spun on his heel and leveled a steely glare to Zant.

“I may have lost half of one ear but my hearing is as sharp as ever!”

“Even with those impressively large earrings?”

I don’t think I’ve seen Ghirahim this livid since the time I snuck a scorpion into his pillowcase. Let’s just say fitness hour was worse than usual for a couple of weeks.

“Why don’t you start tending to the young prince, sir,” he said with a scarily calm tone.

I exhaled deeply through my mouth which was the closest thing I could come to a whistle in this situation without setting someone off even further.

“But of course,” Zant replied as he casually kneeled beside me to start work.

“What is the top of the current Gerudo chain of command?” Cia, another one of my father’s Gerudo minions, asked as she paced in front of me.

She had short red hair decorated with a ruby and pearls, her lips a reddish color like the tattoos painted on her left leg, her cheeks just below her eyes were marked with black lines; her eyes’ irises a shining amber, her eyelids painted in a scarlet tone, and her nails painted black.

Her outfit consisted of a dark purple garment, which left much of her body exposed. She had a sleeve on only one of her arms and a long open skirt. It’s decorated with red and purple feathers and bracelets.

I sighed miserably. Extra lessons as punishment for my recklessness were never fun. Especially when they were in the Eastern Palace with Cia. The Dark Sorceress was far too full of herself for my liking. What’s even worse is the crush she has on me. Her behavior recently has become borderline stalkerish because of it.

“King Ganondorf, me, Nabooru, the Bipolar Twins-”

Cia cleared her throat in warning, though it was obvious that she was just as amused as I was.

I rolled my eyes and corrected myself, “-Koume and Kotake, Yuga, Zant, Ghirahim, you, Volga, and Wizzro.”

“Correct as always, Your Highness. That concludes your lessons for today.”

“Finally!”

“Perhaps now that you’re free…”

Igasu entered the room, “Prince Link, King Ganondorf has summoned you. Mistress Cia, Wizzro needs assistance in the Shifting Sands.”

“Another Molduga?”

Thank you, Igasu! You just saved me from having to turn Cia down for the millionth time since we met!

I nodded my understanding, “Of course. I will be there shortly,” I turned to Cia and offered a (fake)helpless shrug and took off.

As I entered the more populated halls of my father’s castle, I slowed to a walk. I furrowed my brows as I heard concerned whispers from the women, whether they be guards or servants.

“Are they really moving into the South Fortress?”

“I can’t count how many times some of the Yiga have tried hitting on me since they’ve arrived.”

“Those brutes have only caused trouble since they first banded together almost forty years ago.”

I felt my face harden as the words continued to surround me. I would need to have a talk with the staff after this meeting, for comfort purposes if anything.

Gerudo are mostly women, with the exception of me, Father, and whatever male Gerudo that was born, therefore, the rule of women only in the main city had been around for as long as the Gerudo have existed. Male Gerudo came to be royalty and usually were only ever born every one hundred years. That’s why my birth was such a big deal. Though I may not be the ideal heir due to half of my lineage, what I lacked in proper genes, I made up for in loyalty and my dream to help my people thrive.

I was yanked from my thoughts as I arrived at the door to the throne room. It was cracked open…

“Your Majesty, I strongly advise that you reconsider this alliance with the Yiga Clan!”

That was Volga…

I leaned against the wall just beside the door and tried to look like I was waiting when I was really eavesdropping.

“I’m inclined to agree. As uncouth as the fiery General is, he makes a fair point. The Yiga have only ever caused the Gerudo, and Ninjago in general, pain and suffering. It’s not as if they suddenly had a change of heart and decided to start a charity event to make up for previous crimes. If anything, they’re worse than they were before the war.”

Ghirahim was right. Father had not disclosed exactly why we were now aligned with the Yiga or how that would help reunite our family. I was honestly surprised my father had remained as silent as long as he had. I would have thought he would have assured his generals and tacticians by now. Assured me.

What is going through that head of yours, Father?

A low growl from Volga was enough to know that he was not exactly pleased with Ghirahim’s rude description.

“Master Ganondorf, I too question the wisdom of the decision to associate ourselves with those… miscreants.”

Nabooru too?! Something is definitely not right here... Next thing you know, the Bipolar Twins are going to be dancing to the Macarena in pirate hats while singing about the months of the year… Er… I don’t know where that came from…

“Peace, my friends. This alliance will benefit our people. Our situation has become dire and I needed to take action,” my father’s deep, gentle voice resonated in the room at long last, “The Gerudo are starving. Our reserves are at an all-time low. Food and medical supplies are my greatest concern.”

A solemn silence fell over the Council.

“Zant, how is your proxy’s training coming along?”

The masked CMO huffed, “Surprisingly well. She could join our efforts now but I feel it would be best to up her medical training.”

“No. That can wait. I have a mission for her.”

“...Y-Yes, sir.”

I decided that this was the perfect moment to make my presence known. I pushed the double doors open, pulling everyone's eyes to me. I winced slightly as their gazes. I needed to work on that.

“What took you?” Father asked.  
“Hall traffic,” I lied, adding a humorous tone.

All eyes turned to Ghirahim who cringed slightly.

“My apologies, young prince,” he said.

I rolled my eyes internally at the title.

“So, what’s going on?”

Sheik

An alarm blared throughout the Bounty, stirring me from my studies. I snapped my books shut and raced up to the bridge. I skid to a halt as I entered, the boys right on my heels.

“Break it down for me, sis,” Kai said as Nya turned to us.

“Lloyd and a Serpentine have overtaken Darkly’s Boarding School for Bad Boys,” Nya explained.

Jay scoffed and turned away, “That place is a cesspool for the crooked and misbehaved.”

“Well, it doesn’t mean they don’t need our help!” Cole argued.

“I agree. But Nya, I must ask, did you hear anything about the Yiga?” I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“No, nothing. He seems to have disappeared with the Fangpyre,” she answered.

“Look, we can work out what happened to the eye masked freak later. Step on it!” Kai ordered.

Zane ran to the console and slammed the button to the thrusters.

I wander out onto the deck, watching the guys preparing to go down to the school below us. Cole was repairing his vehicle, Zane was looking down below, and Kai and Jay were talking near the ship’s prow.

“Looks quiet down there,” Zane said and turned to Kai as he approached him, “Should we infiltrate using stealth?”

“Ah, we’ve done that. What about using our golden weapons that turn into vehicles?” Kai asked.

Cole shook his head, “I’m still working out the kinks on that. Anyone have any other good ideas?”

Jay lifted a hand, “Hmm. Well, I have one idea, but you guys gotta trust me.”

My lips pulled down into a concerned frown.

“Oh. I don’t think I like that sound of this,” Kai groaned.

“Me neither. What are you thinking, Jay?” I asked, moving to stand beside him, “As long as it’s not stupid, I’m in.”

“Eeeeh…”

Father stepped out, “Sheik, you are to remain here.”

I whirled around to face him, “B-But, Father… Lloyd…”

“The others will take care him this time. You are still recovering.”

I inclined my head, showing both my compliance and disappointment.

I stood next to Nya as she pressed the button to drop the anchor the boys were on. Yep, I’m glad I didn’t go. Jay’s plan: Stupid.

Now, we play the waiting game…

“Are you planning on sulking in here with me the whole mission?” Nya asked.

I grumbled a little, “I’m not sulking…”

“Uh-huh.”

She shot me a teasing smirk to which I responded by my rolling my eyes and lightly shoving her.

About seven minutes into our wait, we got a signal from below. Nya steered the Bounty to level the deck with the roof of the school where the guys had surrounded Lloyd. The snake mentioned previously was nowhere to be seen.

Nya, Father, and I joined everyone on the roof.

“Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, you come here right now!”

I tensed at Father’s stern tone. He only ever used it when I had done something especially reckless.

Jay grabbed Lloyd and threw him over his shoulder, “I got him.”

“Whoa! Hey, let me go!” Lloyd yelled, squirming in Jay’s grip.

“What should we do with him? Wash his mouth out with soap... for a year?” Cole asked.

“Ground him indefinitely?” Kai suggested.

“Have him sit in the corner for a century?” Zane added.

I clenched my fists, my eyes narrowing in my growing tension.

How. Dare. They!

I stalked over to Jay and removed Lloyd from him, opting to protect him from anything extreme the boys may try.

“I know exactly what we must do,” Father said, prompting a fearful gulp from Lloyd.

I gave Lloyd’s shoulder a gentle, comforting squeeze.

Now dressed in more comfortable clothing, I sat next to Lloyd speaking softly about anything and everything that came to mind to help him feel a little more grounded. Poor kid was pretty freaked out, no doubt worried what Father and the other ninja would do to him. I continuously assured him that I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him, even allowing him to play one of my video games as dinner was being made.

Lloyd was focusing intensely on Fire Emblem: Warriors on my 3DS. I knew that the beginning chapters were safe and they only really had him figuring out the controls and fighting monsters that looked like mini Groudons. 

The door creaked open, startling Lloyd from a cutscene. Father entered the room, a book in hand. Lloyd handed my game system back and I went through the process of saving the game and shutting it down. I stood and headed for the door, only pausing to briefly offer a small smile to the kid.

As I made my way down the hall, I passed by the boys who seemed to be feeling nosy. I sighed as I reached my bedroom door. I pressed the palm of my hand against the wood, needing a moment of silence and nothing.

“Hey, are you doing okay?”

I twisted my head around to face Nya and gave her a tired smile.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You can talk to me, you know… if you ever need someone to lend an ear.”

I turned around fully and leaned against my door, “Only if you do the same.”

“It’s a deal then?”

I nodded.


	8. Sheik's Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheik gets TRIGGERED!!! The Nightingale makes his appearance as Pythor tries to unite all the Serpentine(and fails).

Lilith

“Daddy, why are you packing my stuff?”

“...You and I are going far away and won’t be seeing Mommy and your sisters for a while...”

“Can’t we bring the baby? I wanted to teach her things when she got bigger.”

“No. She must stay here where it’s safe.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t fret, son. We’ll see them again.”

The blurry image of a boy and a man grew slightly sharper as I approached them. A woman appeared behind me, lifting me into her arms.

“You’re actually going with them?” she accused, “You’re actually going to do it?”

“If I don’t, the uprisings will continue to get worse. The Royals don’t like seeing us band together. They want us separated so we can’t supposedly take revenge. While I do agree that the Royals were very unjust about all of this, I don’t agree with the way people are reacting to it. I have to leave, if only to protect you and our children.”

I looked at the woman’s face. While blurry like the man and boy’s, I could clearly see tears rolling down her cheeks. Why was she crying? Was she hurt? Was she sad? Why was she sad?

There was shouting. A lot of shouting. It was all outside. I heard Zelly whisper comforting words into my ear as I held her hand tightly, my hands hot and sweaty from the gloves obscuring them. One of Mama’s guards strode into the room and began ushering us down into the secret basement that was only used during emergencies.

As we descended the cobblestone stairway, I could feel Zelly tense and tremble through our clasped hands.

I knew everything happening was my fault somehow. The way Mama and other people around the village sent me scornful looks. All the shouting outside, I could hear the curses, the demands… It frightened me and Zelly to no end.

I didn’t understand why only Zelly and my personal caretaker, Impa, were the only ones to acknowledge me without malicious intent. I was a good girl. Impa said so. I did what I was told and rarely complained. I made mistakes, of course, but everyone does. I had done nothing to warrant their hatred. Maybe it had to do with Daddy and Link’s disappearance? According to Zelly, they just vanished one night and never came back… That was two years ago… But trying to get me, a five-year-old, to understand that it wasn’t my fault was hard. Whenever I asked Mama about Daddy and Link, she would just glare at me and wrinkle her nose like she’d smelled something gross.

I snapped out of my thoughts as we reached the bottom of the stairway and into a small stone room. There were a few crates here and there and a small fridge was in the far right corner where we kept some of the emergency food. The rest were in one of the crates.

The guard guided Zelly and I over to a small bed. Zelly sat on the edge of it and pulled me down next to her, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

“Mister Cado, what’s gonna happen to Lilith if we can’t get the villagers to calm down?” Zelly asked.

“I’m afraid I don’t know, Miss Zelda. But know that I will do everything in my power to protect you and your sister.”

I could feel a small ache in my stomach, “Zelly, I’m hungry.”

“Hold on, I’ll go find something.”

She left me to rummage around in the crates while Cado went upstairs to help deal with the mobbing villagers.

Zelly returned a couple of minutes later with an open pudding cup and spoon. She handed me the items.

“Remember to swallow only a little at a time. I don’t want you choking,” she said as I shoveled a spoonful of pudding into my mouth.

“O’ay. ‘Ank ew.”

She shot me her beautiful smile and ruffled my blonde locks.

"The old days are dead and gone. Leave them that way."

Sheik

I watched a cartoon playing for background noise with mild interest. This morning was pretty dull. No snake activity, no arguing, no training, nothing.

I could vaguely hear Lloyd whistling as he came into the room.  
“Hey, cuz!”  
I regarded him briefly before returning my attention to the TV, not wanting to get involved in whatever the little mastermind had planned.

“I think I saw Jay with your instrument earlier and I thought I might let you know.”

I stiffened as my heart jumped in fear. I snapped my gaze to Lloyd once more, the sudden adrenaline making me a little lightheaded.

“...What?”

The kid shrugged and wandered off. I trembled as I stormed out of the room to find Jay.

If he so much as got a fingerprint on it I’ll… I’ll… I don’t know what I’ll do but it will not be pleasant!

I heard arguing in the boys’ room and followed it. I slammed the door open, halting whatever conversation was happening.  
“Jay Walker, get over here. Right. Now.”

I forced my tone to be calm but stern which seemed to have the exact effect I wanted it to. Jay stiffened and stared at me nervously, forgetting any anger he’d had a minute ago. Kai, Cole, and Zane shifted uneasily on their feet as Jay cautiously approached.

“Be honest with me. Did you take my lyre?”

Now, he seemed confused, “No?”

At that one word, my flames of rage stuttered and died.

“Good. Cause if you so much as looked at it wrong, I would have your head. Now, what the heck were you yelling about?!”

And just like a switch being flipped, everyone was sending glares to each other.

“Cole not only beat my high score on Fist to Face II but he totally rubbed it in my face!”

“Jay ruined the soup that took me three days to make! THREE. DAYS!!!”

“Zane junked up the Sparring Bot! It’s an unsaid law, okay?! YOU DON’T TOUCH A MAN’S ROBOT!!!”

“Kai threw his gi in with mine! Just how am I supposed to strike fear in this?! IT’S PINK!!!

It was hard making out what everyone was saying at the same time. But once their explanations left their mouths they looked at each other both confused and accusing.

Variations of ‘I did not!’ went around.

I watched them thoughtfully…

Waaaaait a minute…

“Shut up a minute!”

The guys paused their argument and gazed at me questioningly.

“How do you know the other did what you accused them of? Did you see them do it?”

“Lloyd said he was there to watch Cole beat my high score.”

“He told me that he saw Zane messing with the Sparring Bot.”

“And he said that he caught Jay spicing up my soup.”

“He told me that Kai asked him to pick up with gi which he threw in with mine.”

I rolled my eyes as realization seemed to dawn on the group.

“That backstabbing little sucker!” Jay yelled.

I vaguely heard an indignant, muffled ‘Hey!’ come from behind the bathroom screen. We turned to see the silhouette of Lloyd who tensed as he realized he’d been caught.

Kai pushed the screen door aside revealing the items used to sabotage the guys’ stuff and...

“My lyre!”

I ran behind Lloyd and scooped it up, cradling it to my chest. It was odd. There was the smallest pulse, a sudden warmth that seeped into my skin. But it was so brief that I passed it off as relief of having it back in my possession.

I gently whacked the back of Lloyd’s head.

“Of all the things you could have taken, you chose my lyre?!”

“Sheik. Calm yourself.”

I tensed slightly at my father’s voice. I huffed and stepped back, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes.

“I put him up to this for today’s lesson. I wanted to show you that the destructive power of rumors and that jumping to conclusions can only lead to trouble. Did you ever think to find out if the accusations were true before Sheik hinted to it?” Father asked.

“Uh, no offense, Sensei, but let me jump to this conclusion: Today’s lesson is lame,” Cole said.

No. Not lame. Just annoying. Really annoying.

“Yeah, why can’t you teach us to paralyze your enemy with one finger? Or find out if a man is lying by the twitch of his nose?” Jay asked at such a rapid pace my mind was spinning.

“Because not all lessons are about fighting!” Father took a deep breath and admitted, “And I misplaced my lesson book…”

Kai strode over to Lloyd and grabbed Father’s lesson book out of the boy’s belt.

“You mean this lesson book?” Kai asked.

Lloyd glowered at us, “It was the perfect plan until you had to show up and mess everything up-”

The boy’s annoyed rant was cut off by Cole sliding the door shut on his face, dusting his hands when he finished the deed.

Nya’s voice rang hesitantly over the PA, “If you’re done fooling around, I could use you guys on the bridge. We do still have a snake problem to attend to... Over and out!”

Once her voice vanished, Kai returned his gaze to Father.

“It’s one thing to let the son of your nemesis to live with you, but having my sister here? I mean, come on, I thought this was a ninja headquarters!”

I shot Kai a nasty look, “First of all, Kai, your sister is a valuable asset to our team. And second…” My lips twitched into an amused smirk, “...she can still hear you.”

“I can still hear you… Over and out!” she chirped.

Kai looked like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Serves him right.

We arrived in the bridge where Nya was standing in front of the main monitor where she had pulled down a map.

“Last we heard of Pythor, he stole the map of dens from Lloyd and is now on his way to open the last two Serpentine tombs,” Nya explained.

Straight to the point. Good for you.

“Ugh, don’t remind me…” Lloyd groaned, suddenly finding the floor interesting.

“Pythor’s our most dangerous threat,” Father said.

So far…

“If he finds those tombs before we do, with his intellect and all four tribes unleashed, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

“But those tombs could be anywhere! Without the map, we might as well throw darts at a map,” Jay said.

I watched Nya walk behind us grabbing a few different colored darts and a flashlight.

“Good idea! Why don’t we?” she asked, throwing the aforementioned items at the map, narrowly missing her brother’s head.

Ah, revenge… What? Nothing!

“These are the two locations of the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre tombs,” she explained walking past her brother with a smirk.

Kai stepped out of her way, giving her a small glare, “Show off…”

Nya threw one more dart at the map as she approached it, “And this is Pythor’s tomb,” She turned back to us, “After many hours of ruminating on why the tombs were placed in these three precise locations, I discovered a secret pattern,” She flicked the flashlight on and pointed it at the map where the image of the symbol for serpent appeared, “If you notice, all three are in line with the Ninjago symbol for serpent.”

Jay catching on much quicker than the rest of us, walked forward to point at the map, “So the last two tombs must be here and here!” He shuffled closer to Nya as he said, “Ah, you are so smart.”

“Was there ever any doubt?”

Father cut in before anyone could get distracted, “There’s little time! Kai and Jay, you head to the Venomari Tomb. Cole and Zane, you take the Constrictai Tomb. And take this,” Father handed Cole the Sacred Flute, “You might need it if you run into Pythor. Good luck, ninja.”

I frowned at the obvious exclusion of myself and Nya.

“What are Sheik and I gonna do?” Nya asked, also disheartened.

Lloyd butted in, “Yeah! What are we gonna do?”

Nya frowned in frustration and shook her head.

“Nya and Sheik, I need you here to make sure Lloyd doesn’t into any more trouble..” Father said.

The three of us deflated simultaneously, Nya and I muttering a reluctant agreement.

Cole rallied the leaving group, “Come on, boys! We’ve got some snakes to club!”

They cheered in excitement as they left to prepare for their mission. Father stared grimly at the map and I watched him with no little concern.

“Where are you, Pythor? What are you up to?”

Third person-Southern Fortress, Gerudo Desert

Ira observed the Gerudo Soldiers going about their daily lives. His job was simple. Remain in the Southern Fortress, uphold his reputation while gathering data, and report his findings. Simple, effective, and crucial to their cause.

Ira was known for his loyalty and his skills in spying. He was invaluable to his master. The true SIC, unlike his twin sister. She was traitorous and her own worst enemy. Ira didn’t know why his Master Kohga kept her around. To keep her at arm’s length, perhaps?

Despite them being twins, they were nothing alike. Ira was calculating, a genius, went unnoticed, and opted to wear dark, more modern suits instead of the traditional red jumpsuit of the Yiga which did not do him any favors in the heat of the desert. His sister, Kona, was conniving, ambitious, unpredictable, cruel… the list goes on… Yet she still wore the Yiga insignia with pride. Whatever skill she had was overshadowed by her tendency to overlook important details. That was never a problem for Ira, as nothing got past his watchful eyes.

Which begged the question as to why he hadn’t been officially promoted yet. He could be properly sitting at the right hand of Master Kohga. But instead, he was out suffering in the desert sun all day, cataloging all the different troops. It’s not that he didn’t love his job. Watching and listening had been something he loved doing for as long as he remembered. He only felt that he was underappreciated. Mast Kohga trusted him most out of all of his troops, yes, but it seemed that his trust has waned after so much exposure to Ira’s disloyal twin. Despite this, Ira remained, aiming to follow in his father’s footsteps who had been a devoted Yiga follower…

“Young voe!”

The mention of his small stature and immaturity had grabbed his attention instantly and he instinctively straightened to give off an intimidating appearance.

“Do you plan on standing there all day?” the muscular Gerudo soldier asked.

Ira gave a small nod to which the soldier eyed him suspiciously. Not that the women warriors had stopped since they’d arrived…

He could hear her and a nearby colleague mutter something along the lines of a particularly nasty insult in their native language. Not that he cared. He was only here because Master Kohga wished it so.

“Come now, do try to at least act civil around our guests,” the one named Cia scolded as she approached them, “Nightingale here is merely minding his own business.”

Ira glowered at the General through his mask. That nickname was used much too often by outsiders for his liking.

“Hmm… Silent type, huh? I can work with that.”

Ira turned his head back to his work, pointedly ignoring the young woman. A sudden croaking call alerted him to his raven friend’s return. He lifted his eyes to the sky as the large black bird dove for him. Ira lifted his left arm for the bird to perch on as he drew closer. The TIC noticed the small sheet of paper tied to his friend’s scaly leg, removing it carefully so as not to disturb the raven. Ira could feel many eyes on him, though they were probably more curious than anything.

Upon reading its contents, the young man gave a silent sigh of relief. He was summoned by Kohga to join a meeting. It seemed he’d get some respite from the torrid sun, yet. While it was true that the Yiga were also based in the desert, they resided in the shaded Karusa Valley, a place that rarely had the sun directly on it.

The Raven, that was affectionately named Bandit by other Yiga Footsoldiers, sidled his way onto his master’s shoulder with ease that came from years of practice. Ira pocketed the paper and began the arduous walk across the desert to Dragon’s Exile.

Sheik

I poked my head into the game room, finding Lloyd playing one of the console games.

“Hey, Lloyd? Have you seen Nya? I can’t find her.”

“Dunno. She said something about needing to grab something real quick,” he replied absently, most of his attention focused on his game.

I furrowed my brows in confusion but opted to stay with Lloyd while Nya was getting whatever it was that she needed. Sitting down on the couch behind Lloyd, I curled up to watch him play.

“So, uh… Cuz… Do you wanna play a racing game?” Lloyd asked as his avatar died.

I blinked in surprise at the offer.

“Ooooh… Why not?”

I picked up a discarded controller as Lloyd changed out the game with a broad smile. The TV pulled up the start menu and we picked our dragons, Lloyd going for a silvery, sharp one while I picked out a yellow one that had a more blunted hide. The race was pretty underwhelming but it was nice to just focus on something other than threats to my life or training. Lloyd was in the lead most of the time until I pulled ahead last second, knocking his dragon aside and crossing the finish line.

“Awww!!!” Lloyd groaned which quickly turned into laughter, “No fair! You’ve obviously been doing this a lot longer than I have!”

I bashfully gazed at my controller, “I wasn’t always a workaholic.”

Lloyd opened his mouth to continue the conversation but Nya burst through the door before he could.

“I found the others! They’re unconscious in the Toxic Bogs!”

I jumped up, abandoning the controller and followed Nya out onto the upper deck.

As we were eating dinner, Jay had launched into a very detailed explanation of what happened to them. I fussed over Kai as he just stared into nothing. Apparently, he was hit with the Venomari’s venom.

“So then, just as we were gonna bite it, this HUGE mechanical robot-!”

“Samurai. It was Samurai,” Zane calmly corrected his friend.

“Sama-what?” Lloyd asked.

“Samurai. Highest level of warrior class. They would protect nobility and serve with honor on the battlefield. They assisted in the Yiga Revolt almost forty years ago,” Father explained.

Kai suddenly extended an arm into the air, inadvertently knocking me away, “He was a hundred feet high, with weapons coming out every part of him!” He suddenly gasped as he stared at my father and whispered in my ear, “Look at Sensei’s beard! It’s moving like snakes!”

Deciding to humor him, I glanced at Father’s beard, “Sure, Kai.”

“When is this Venomari spit supposed to wear off? It’s starting to get annoying…” Nya said.

Kai slapped some food on his face prompting a grimace from me and weird looks from the others. Cole decided to break the awkward silence.

“Okay, don’t let this mysterious samurai cloud what’s really important: All the Serpentine are out, and if Pythor can unite them, the legend states that some Great Devourer is going to consume the land and-”

Nya cut him off questioning, “Great Devour-er?”

“Whatever it is, it’s a can of worms I don’t wanna see open.”

Lloyd facepalmed, “Unh, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t opened the first hatch, none of this would’ve happened.”

“We cannot change the past, but we can affect the future,” Father spoke up, “At least, we have the Sacred Flute in our possession, so-”

Jay chuckled nervously, tipping his cup over and spilling its contents, “Yeah. Ahem. About that…”

“Pythor… sort of… stole it…” Zane confessed.

I dropped my teacup in shock.

“You… WHAT?!”

The three aware ninjas winced at my yell.

“One of the last Sacred Flutes… gone?” Father sighed, “You five are Ninjago’s last hope.”

As soon as the words rolled off his tongue, the alarm blared, startling everyone.

“Cold-vision must have caught something! That means the Serpentine are near!” Nya said.

“Oh no! Ninjago City?!” Cole asked.

We all jumped up from our seats and ran to the bridge. A hologram of Ninjago City was already up, lines moving to the center of the city representing the snakes.

“How many are there?” Jay asked.

“Looks like all of them,” Kai answered.

“Oh, back among the living, are we, Kai?” I asked, lifting a brow.

“Mostly. Things are still… A little weird-looking…”

“Pythor must be trying to unite them,” Zane said, getting back on track.

“Go. We mustn't let the five tribes unite!” Father said.

“May I go, Father? Please?” I begged.

Father sighed, “Very well. But don’t use the song unless absolutely necessary. Understood?”

“Yes, Father! Thank you!”

I ran after my friends to prepare for the mission.

The five of us skidded to a halt in an alleyway. Everywhere was well lit from the lanterns and electric billboards. Soft awes from the team had my mind swirling with several trains of thought as I attempted adjusting to my new surroundings.

Why do they find it so amazing? I do have to commend whoever designed the buildings as they were impressive. But not overwhelmingly so. I believe the traditional huts in my-the Sheikah village to be-

Why is it so bright here? You can’t even see the stars! Light pollution is so annoying-

The upperclassmen sure pamper themselves. Some people aren’t so lucky-

Is that subway hatch... steaming?

In my inner observations, I seemed to have missed out on the rest of the team chatting about the view.

“I seemed to have found where our foes are hiding,” I stated, grabbing their attention.

Cole groaned, “I hate snakes…”

Ira/Nightingale(Third Person)

Standing in the middle of the Serpentine gathering, Ira found himself gently stroking his feathered friend in reassurance. Whether it was for him or Bandit, he wasn’t 100% sure. His eyes were following his sister’s pacing.

Irrelevant.

He tore his gaze from Kona and observed Pythor who happened to be observing himself in the reflection of one of the Fangpyre’s buses as well.

Also irrelevant.

He had half a mind to keep himself from succumbing to his boredom as he waited for the Serpentine leaders to get their act together. Politics were never his strong suit as shown by his supposed muteness. It was something he appreciated about his sister. She took politics in stride, however terrible her negotiation skills were. That was where Ludo came in. The only reason Ira was present for the gathering was to be a witness. If there were any complications, i.e. a fight, he would be able to use his superior strength and agility to help settle things down.

The only thing that mattered here was the outcome of the gathering. Should everything run smoothly, the Yiga would have a few more allies in the upcoming war. If the opposite happened, then the consequences would commence. Though, he was somewhat relieved to know most of them would fall on his twin’s head.

Any normal person may think him heartless for not caring what happens to her, but she mattered little to nothing to him. And the feeling was mutual. In the Yiga Clan, any weakness was exploited, attachments to family and friends among the many. It wasn’t the reason he didn’t care for his twin, it was just convenient for him. The only reason Bandit managed to remain under his care as long as he had was because of the raven’s continued usefulness.

The thought of losing his precious friend had Ira forcing himself out of his head and paying attention as the leaders made their way up to the roofs of the buses, Kona and Ludo among them.

“Friends, enemies, and enemies who pretend to be friends,” Pythor addressed his crowd with humor.

It seemed to have the desired effect as the Serpentine warriors chuckled in amusement.

“I welcome you!”

The next few minutes, Pythor merely told a few jokes. He seemed to have an affinity for puns.

Such a nuisance.

“Heh, but in all seriousness,” Pythor said.

Anticipation: Over.

“The reason why I called this gathering is because: The good people of Ninjago imprisoned us in those insidious tombs, and I want to return them the favor!”

Cheers of agreement echoed from the snakes.

“And we will be gaining allies in our fight as well. Some of you may have noticed our new companions. They are representing the Yiga Clan. They too, were cast out of Ninjago and plan to assist us in fight.”

Murmurs rippled through the audience before an obnoxious voice spoke up rather loudly.

“That sounds like a great plan but you know the Hypnobrai will screw it up!”

Unlikely but not unexpected.

“Who said that?!”

Arguments and indignant cries grew louder and more prominent. Ira narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

Something is wrong…

“Those buck teeth can bite my rear end!”

“I bet they’re drinking their own venom!”

“All that digging must have given them dirt for brains!”

Those voices sound familiar…

Ira scanned the room, his eyes immediately landing on five colors on the second floor. He stalked over to Pythor who had turned to Skales.

“What’s going on? Why am I losing them?” the Anacondrai asked.

Ira caught their attention by pointing up at the ninja who thought they were being sneaky. It takes one to know one, after all.

Skales and Pythor followed his gesture up to the second floor.

“Ninja! Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it,” Skales said, slithering away.

Ira followed the Hypnobrai General over to a few Constrictai guards.

Yes. They would take care of it. Or rather. He would.

Sheik

I noticed the Yiga’s presence almost immediately. And it terrified me. They were becoming more active. Why now? Was it just because the Serpentine were released?

I felt a hand shaking my shoulder, pulling me out of my shocked state. My eyes locked with Jay’s concerned blue.

“Hey, you still with us?”

I nodded wordlessly.

“Look, if you feel like you aren’t ready to face those one-eyed freaks, you can head back to the Bounty and we’ll take care of this,” Kai offered.

I shook my head firmly, steeling myself for the fight ahead, “No. I can’t let that stop me from doing my job.”

“Check it out! It’s working!” Jay said, pointing to the arguing Serpentine tribes.

“Let’s go wreak some more havoc, boys!”

Upon separating, I could feel the ground trembling slightly beneath us. A sure sign that they were on to us. They sent the Constrictai. I jumped onto the railing, balancing easily on it. I would be fine as long as I was not touching the ground.

As expected, a confused Constrictai warrior burrowed his way above ground. I delivered a swift kick to the back of the snake’s head, knocking him out. I winced at the small ache in my side and used a hand to gently massage it.

Right… Still healing… Just follow Father’s orders and take it easy.

I hopped down taking care make to it silent. I noticed, with no little surprise, a dark figure in my peripheral. I spun to face him, realizing the Yiga was not one of the usual footsoldiers or blademasters. He commanded respect with just his presence. Unlike the other Yiga I had seen, he wore different clothes and I was more than a little startled to actually see half of his face under the half-mask. It served to remind me that they were still people and not just mindless beasts. But it didn’t make me any less uneasy.

“I’ve heard of you… You’re Kohga’s third in command,” I said, my fingertips brushing against my kunai.

I needed to deal with this guy so I could find my friends. Constrictai warriors attacked from below ground. If they didn’t know how to avoid being ambushed by such enemies, they would most definitely be captured.

The TIC, or as everyone else called him, Nightingale, remained silent and engaged in the stare down. Even in his threatening stance, the chance to surrender, the chance to yield was given.

Giving up isn’t an option. All of Ninjago is at stake. Sorry, songbird, you’re going to have to get out of my way.

I drew two kunai and sent them as projectiles toward my foe. He merely shifted his stance and the weapons flew past their target. Another slight shift and I prepared to block or dodge whatever he had coming. But instead of him moving, a black blur rammed into me, knocking me off balance. A force on the back of my neck had vision grow dark. I was faintly aware of gravity taking hold, only to be caught in arms I didn’t recognize…

Ira/Nightingale

Ninja: Escaped. Serpentine: Remain divided. Mission status: Failed.

I watched as Kona and Ludo spoke with the two remaining Serpentine leaders. Pythor and Skales. I didn’t like Skales. He reminded me too much of my sister. Master Kohga, and in turn, King Ganondorf, would not be happy.

“Dear, Brother, would you be so kind as to send your ball of feathers to inform our leaders of the situation?”

I suppressed a grimace at my sister’s sickly sweet tone and insult directed at my friend. I pushed my personal feelings to the back of my mind and nodded once. As I wandered off to write the note, I thought back to what I had seen of the young Sheikah.

Male. Tall. Lyre.

The instrument he carried had sent his mind spinning. It was the lyre of legend. The one that could only be wielded by those of the creator’s blood. It didn’t make sense. That young man shouldn’t have the lyre. He should not have the blood to possess it. Yet he did. As far as he knew, there were only four people capable of wielding it. And they were all accounted for according to King Ganondorf, Prince Link, and Master Kohga collectively. So how, how, was this boy holding it?

Perhaps, there was something he had missed. For now, he would just have to keep this information to himself.

Sheik

The first thing I felt was my aching neck. I groaned and wondered what the heck I did to myself this time.

“Finally back among the living, eh, Sheik?”

At Jay’s voice, I jerked up, my eyes flying open.

“Woah! Calm down! I’ll lose my jet!”

I pressed a hand over my heart and started the process of calming myself down. All I could remember was knocking out that Constrictai. Everything else was just a dark blur.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Well, we were caught red-handed by the snakes and all of us were captured but Zane. He managed to escape and got us all out of there! And now the snakes-”

“I-I meant what happened to me but that works too…”

“Oh… Well, we were hoping you would be able to tell us what happened. You… don’t remember?”

I rubbed my left arm absently as I ducked my head, “I’m afraid I don’t…”

Jay fell silent for a few minutes, “Are… Are you okay? We were pretty worried when that Yiga guy dragged you in, unconscious.”

“I will be.”

I took a small sip from my cup, the liquid sliding down my dry throat. Dinner had resumed and I was quite relieved to finish it. The stress of the snake situation made me forget how hungry I was.

I noticed, with much amusement, Jay accidentally dropping a bit of his food under the table with an expression that matched that of a kid who’d just been denied their candy.

“You know, whether it was in a lesson book or not, we used the destructive power of rumors to our advantage,” Cole commented.

“And now the Serpentine are further away than ever from getting their act together,” Kai added.

“Yeah, I don’t think we would’ve gotten out of there if it hadn’t been for Zane,” Jay said, gesturing to the white ninja.

“Don’t thank me. Thank Lloyd. If it hadn’t been for his ‘laundry skills’ we all would’ve been found,” Zane replied.

Everyone laughed at the jest and even I let out a little chuckle.

You did one thing right, little guy.

The laughter faded as Lloyd came into the room, Zane’s now white gi tucked under his arm.

“Well, it took me twenty loads but your suit’s no longer pink,” he said before turning to Cole, “And show that I’m sorry, Cole…”

Cole had the mind to look concerned.

Good for him. Lloyd’s a prankster at heart.

“I got you a can of nuts,” he pulled out the mentioned items.

Cole chuckled knowingly as he walked over to Lloyd with his hands on his hips.

“Don’t think I don’t see what this is. When I open this, a bunch of snakes are gonna pop out, right?” he laughed, “Yeah, no thank you!”

Lloyd smirked as Cole walked over to the fridge.

That’s right. He bad.

As Cole opened the fridge, toy snakes jumped out at him. He let out a scream that had me sputtering and everyone else laughing at how ridiculous he looked with snakes draped over his head and shoulders.

Third person-Southern Fortress, Gerudo Desert

Zant watched as his protege took down another training dummy. He and Ghirahim had done well with her. It had him sighing wistfully. She had a burning fire in her eyes that could only be rivaled by that of the wolves they had roaming around.

"Quit worrying."

The annoyed demand had him tuning back into his surroundings. Ghirahim had his typical grouchy glare fixed on him.

"You act as if you'll never see her again. I know our allies are a little rough but she's grown up in the darkest reaches of Ninjago. With you no less. She'll be fine."

"...Agreed. But she's the daughter of my closest friend. I swore(You shouldn't swear, it's a sign of weak verbal skills-sorry...) to protect her."

"Hmph... It's the same with myself and our young prince. But you don't see me being over-protective and shadowing his every movement."

"Fair enough. At least Nightingale will be among their ranks until the negotiations are complete so he can watch over her."

Ghirahim hummed his agreement, "The girl can be quite reckless. Who knows, maybe she'll even hear the Nightingale's song. Now, wouldn't that be something? That boy hasn't gone off on someone in many years."

Zant scoffed as he turned his eyes back to his charge. She would be fine he continued to tell himself. She would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out a lot longer than I thought it'd be... Oh well! Better for you guys! I wonder if someone caught my Lego Star Wars reference... Next chapter is going to be fun! And probably won't be out on time because of the time of year! *sarcastic*YAY! I'll see you later, Heroes!


	9. A Light That Connects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninjas do a little bonding and Lloyd is taken hostage by the Serpentine... AND WU KNOWS SOMETHING EVERYONE ELSE DOESN'T!!! But then again, what else is new? XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suprise! I'm early! I have my reasons... and... expect more chapters sooner for a little bit. At least until April. Maybe.

“ _Heeeerooo…”_

_“Herooo…”_

_“Where are you, Hero?”_

_“Where did you go?”_

_“You promised to come back.”_

_“Why haven’t you come back?”_

_“You promised me.”_

_“She’s missing, now.”_

_“Because of you, she’s gone.”_

_“Lost in the darkest recesses of her mind.”_

_“She’s scared... and lonely...”_

_“Why did you leave her?”_

**Sheik**

I was sitting outside, polishing my kunai again. I guess it was kind of like a stress reliever for me. Away from the noise and arguing, away from all the boys… Just me and my thoughts…

“Sheik!”

Until someone crashes my party of course…

I sighed as Lloyd came running over to me, bouncing on his feet.

“Good afternoon, Lloyd. I trust your day is going well?”

Lloyd giggled, “You bet! But the guys and I realized we don’t know each other as well as we should. So, I said, ‘We just need to bond!’ It took a little convincing but they agreed!”

“...Lloyd,” I questioned slowly, “Are you sure this is wise…?”

“Sure! Why wouldn’t it be? You aren’t scared of a little bonding, are you?”

Though his tone was teasing, I still felt miffed. Of course, I wasn’t scared! Just… a little concerned about my hidden identity.

I bit my lower lip and averted my gaze.

“C’mon, Sheik! Pleeeease?”

_He did not just pull the puppy eyes on me!_

“Okay, okay! Just please stop making that horrible expression!”

I sheathed my weapons and pushed myself to my feet. Lloyd didn’t waste any time dragging me inside and into the dining room where the rest of the guys were hanging out.

Kai looked up from their conversation with a smirk, “Oh, good! We were starting to think we’d have to drag you in here.”

I huffed and turned away from the fire ninja as I settled down next to him.

“So,” I started, “What exactly are we doing?”

“I was thinking about playing a game!” Lloyd offered.

“Really? A game?” Kai asked, “How old do you think we are?”

“I don’t know! That’s why I wanted to a different kind of game.”

“You know, that’s got me thinking. We don’t even know each other's ages,” Jay said.

I remained silent, not willing to reveal that I knew all of their ages thanks to Father.

“We can start with that then!” Lloyd said.

“If you insist,” Kai chuckled, “I’m fifteen.”

“Sixteen,” Cole said.

“I’m fifteen too!” Jay all but yelled.

“I too am fifteen,” Zane said.

“I’m ten!” Lloyd finished.

All eyes turned to me. I stiffened, feeling a sudden tightness in my chest and an ache in my muscles.

_What’s wrong with me? It’s just your age! Stop feeling so stressed over it! It’s not a big deal!_

“Come on, Sheik! How old are you?” Jay pressed.

I swallowed thickly, “Fourteen,” I muttered quietly.

Looks of shock rippled across the room and my face heated up.

“What?!” I squeaked.

 _I_. _Squeaked. HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO HELP HIDE MY GENDER?! YOU_ _IDIOT!!!_

Jay started giggling, his face lighting up like the element he represented.

“Oh my gosh! That squeak was adorable! Do it again!”

Another undignified squeak left my throat at the pure mortification I felt which started another round of giggles from the blue ninja. My hands flew up to hide my burning face as I curled in on myself.

_Oh, this is why I didn’t make friends when I was younger!_

No matter what calming tactics I tried, I could not stop my face from burning or keep my heart from running a marathon like it was high on coffee. The small snickers I heard around me wasn’t helping either. If I had any dignity left, it would probably be gone by the time I even summoned the courage to leave the room.  
“Okay, that’s enough teasing! He’s gonna pass out if you keep it up,” Cole said, though there was obvious amusement in his tone.

I unintentionally made a sound of annoyed embarrassment which only had the snickers intensify.

“I believe Sheik was questioning our shock before Jay decided to embarrass him.”

_Yes! Thank you, Zane!_

“Oh, yeah…! We were just surprised because you act so much older than you are,” Kai explained.

I furrowed my brows, my embarrassment slowly fading into slight confusion and doubt.

“I… I do?” I questioned, “I just assumed you guys were just a really immature bunch.”

Jay barked a laugh, “That’s because we are. But you’re way too mature for your age.”

“What they are trying to say, is that you appear to have seen and experienced far more than the average teenager,” Zane said.

I fell silent. It was a true observation, though. I have been mocked and chased off and abandoned, felt intense hatred for reasons unknown. When adults saw what species I was, they grew fearful. I had no clue why. What had my tribe done in their past?

I knew of the split. The once unified Sheikah were now three. The remaining Sheikah Tribe, the Yiga Clan, and the Twili Clan. The Yiga were merely Sheikah that had felt resentment towards the Royal Family of Ninjago and refused to accept the banishment. The Twili were a more complicated group. They too felt some degree of resentment towards the Royal Family but were compliant to their wishes. They had mingled with the Gerudo, which brought on their drastically different appearance from the pureblood Sheikah, but remained in their own clan much like their Gerudo counterparts.

However, I was never given insight on what the three separated groups had been doing these past years. I only knew of the Yiga’s growing activity and their terrifying yearn for the blood of the remaining original Sheikah. Me in particular. Perhaps it was because I was no longer in the confines of the hidden village and I was an easy target. Or maybe my birth parents had personally wronged Master Kohga in some way so that they felt the need to destroy me. Maybe I would never know.

I was literally shaken from my increasingly dark thoughts by Kai and I realized just how deep into my head I had gotten. I blinked as I tried to reorient myself with my surroundings. I ignored the concerned stares from my friends and shook my head to further clear my brain.

“I apologize for spacing out. Please do not let me keep you from playing your game or talking freely amongst yourselves. I just… need some time alone…” I said, trailing off.

I stood from my seat and took my leave, avoiding the stares. I could not, _would not_ have their pity.

Zane(Third person)

Zane left his brothers in search of one person. He knew that Sheik would not give any answers to his questions. The boy was far too withdrawn and distrustful. That left only one person who would even be capable of answering.

He found him the study reading what appeared to be a journal. Curiosity niggled in the back of his mind but pushed it aside for Sheik’s sake.

“Sensei, may I speak with you?”

“Of course, Zane. Is something wrong?” Wu asked, closing the book.

“No, Sensei. I merely have a few questions regarding your son.”

Wu stilled, watching Zane with cautious curiosity, “Has he acted improperly?”

Zane stalled momentarily at the possibility of Sheik being anything but civil. He simply could not imagine it.

“Of course not. I am concerned about his health,” he answered.

Wu hummed in thought, “As am I… His decisions have become rash and desperate. I fear that the Yiga Clan’s sudden appearance is… affecting his psyche.”

“Are they the reason that he doesn’t use his real name?”

“...”

“Do you know his real name?”

“...I do not. Even I am not told everything. Sheik has many secrets and the ones I do know are not my place to tell.”

Zane weighed the pros and cons of asking his next question, the question that had been on everyone’s minds, one of the real reasons he was here.

“What happened to him when he was a child?” he asked quietly.

Wu sighed deeply, closing his eyes, “He was running from a Yiga Footsoldier when I first saw him. The Yiga Clan’s intent was and still is clear: Kill. I have hidden him the best I can, but it seems that it is not enough. The Yiga Clan will attack any Sheikah on sight, that much is clear. No matter how much Sheik was hoping otherwise…”

“You did not fully answer my question.”

“It is not my place to tell.”

Zane frowned. Perhaps he should not reveal his suspicions about Sheik’s personal identity to Wu just yet. No. He’d have to play this just right to know for sure.

Zane bowed to Wu, giving him his thanks for his time, and left to speak with his brothers.

**Sheik**

I was sitting on the edge of the dragon figurehead’s snout. It may have been a precarious place to get lost in my thoughts but it didn’t matter much to me. The endless void of clouds provided space that I needed to clear my head.

“Sheik.”

The only indication I gave that I’d heard Nya was the slight turn of my head.

“Aren’t we a little close to the edge?” she asked as she sat next to me.

I stared out at the clouds again, the emptiness I felt inside me spreading.

“Heights don’t scare me, Nya. I lived at the top of one of the highest mountains in Ninjago almost my whole life. This is nothing new.”

I could feel her eyes on me.

“How are you holding up?” she asked.

“As well as one can when facing their lifelong demons,” I replied in a sharper tone than I meant to.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t the right question to ask.”

I swiveled my head and leveled a tiny glare at her, “No offense, but I came up here for some privacy. So, if you don’t mind…”

“Sheik, you can talk to me.”

I stayed quiet, attempting to put my thoughts in order before I did something I’d regret.

“I… I just… I’m… _scared_ … I don’t think the Yiga realize that they’ve fought the kid they’ve been searching for. They know I’m a Sheikah out of the confines of the hidden village and that’s it. What if… What happens if they find out?”

“We’ll figure this out. I _promise_.”

“How can you promise that?”

“Because I believe in everyone. I believe that we’ll pull through.”

“I see the message… You’ve got to have hope for better days…” I sighed, “All right…”

She beamed and stood up, “Why don’t you come to check up on the others with me?”

“You go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Okay,” she turned to leave, “Just, let me know if you need anything.”

I closed my eyes, “Will do.”

The shuffling of her feet indicated her departure from my presence. I spent several more minutes in my place before standing and heading for the dining room. I slid the door open and saw everyone inside talking.

“Don’t worry, Sensei. I’ve almost reached my full potential and when I become the Green Ninja, we’re not gonna need any magic song or flute,” Cole said, confidently.

I lifted a brow.

_Seriously? Again with the Green Ninja nonsense?_

“ _You’re_ going to be the Green Ninja?” Kai asked before laughing. He regained his serious expression, “Don’t make me laugh.”

_But… you just did…_

Zane spoke up, “I thought it was decided that I was destined to become the Green Ninja.”

Jay chuckled and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Oh! The only thing decided about you, Zane, is that you’re weird.”

Jay, Zane, and Cole began to argue while Kai watched with an intense glare. I rolled my eyes at their antics and approached Father who had a box set in front of him on the table. Lloyd joined me.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, apparently as fed up with them as I was, “What’s in the box?”

Father stood up, removing the lid, “Your new uniforms.”

I lifted my brows at this. Uniforms?

The argument turned into excited gasps and I smiled in amusement. The boys grabbed their new GIs, chattering excitedly to each other about them. A disappointed moan from Lloyd grabbed my attention.

“Nothing for me?”

Father passed my new armor to me before awkwardly sliding the box over to Lloyd.

“You get, um… the box?”

“A box is a great thing to receive Lloyd. There are many things you can use it for. I could show you if you like?” I offered.

Lloyd beamed up at me and took the box up in his arms, “Sure!”

An alarm interrupted anything else and we made a break for the bridge. Crowding around Monitor 2, Cole brought up a close up of Mega Monster Amusement Park.

“Sorry to break up the moment, boys but a small faction of our slithering friends are stirring up trouble over at Mega Monster Amusement Park,” he said.

I startled slightly when Lloyd suddenly yelled and jumped around us, “Amusement park? Can I go? Can I go with you, please? Let me make things up! I can help!” I noticed how he was mostly begging me.

_Curse my soft side…!_

“I’m sorry, nephew. You will stay here, where it’s safe,” Father answered gently.

Lloyd groaned, obviously heavily disappointed. I gently massaged my temples before turning to my little cousin.

“If it makes you feel any better, I can take you another time when Serpentine are not trying to cause trouble.”

Lloyd perked up immediately, jumping up and down in excitement, “Oh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Jay grinned at me and the other male teens, “What do you say, guys? Time to try out the new merchandise?”

They chattered excitedly once more as we made our way out of the bridge to change separately.

Upon returning to the rest of the team, fully suited up and armed, I observed their new GIs. Intriguing. They would definitely be more protected with all that fancy armor added to the GI.

Mine was essentially the same design, just different coloration, and sturdier materials. I still kept the same indigo suit but the armor was lighter and my shawl was now black.

The boys’ voices became clearer as I approached.

“This new stuff feels like it’ll really protect us,” Cole said.

“Yet, provides more mobility,” Zane added.

“You wanna strut your stuff on the catwalk, or get down to that amusement park so we can go on some rides?” Jay shrieked in excitement.

_That kid seriously needs a volume dial…_

“I love a good old fashioned roller coaster, but nothing beats this!” Kai said his piece and then promptly jumped off the edge with an excited whoop.

Cole and Zane followed while Jay transformed his nunchucks into a jet and let me inside before taking off after the rest. It was a pretty quick ride down to the park. The only warning I got before Jay changed his jet back was a simple ‘Get ready to land!’. I managed to front flip and land softly on the ground when the flying vehicle vanished in a flash of lightning.

The boys posed dramatically and started talking about their clothes once again while I simply ran ahead to the main source of the problem. The mob before me seemed to be cheering so I took that as a good sign. When the citizens took note of my presence, the moved out of my way to let me through but didn’t deter them from the snakes. Speaking of which, they were currently tied up. Someone was already here and I believe I knew who it was.

_Good job, Samurai._

“Ha-ha! Ladies, relax, relax, we have arrived.”

_Dangit, Jay…!_

Kai approached a couple of women, “Uh… What just happened?”

I subtly approached without their notice to listen in.

“Oh, you totally missed it. There were like icky snakes and then this mysterious Samurai came in and saved everyone.”

_It would appear that I guessed correctly._

“He was, like, _gorgeous_!” the second woman gushed.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

_How could she even tell? If this person was masked and in a suit of armor, then you wouldn’t be able to tell their gender or what they looked like! Take me for example! Everyone believes I am male when I am really female! UGH!!! Uneducated assumptions!_

“You saw his face?” Kai questioned.

“Nah, but we could totally tell.”

I all but snarled and whirled around to leave only to almost run into Nya.

_When did she get here?_

“My apologies, Nya,” I said, bowing slightly and all negative feelings slowly dissipating.

“It’s fine, Sheik.”

She gave me a smile before handing two ice creams to the women. Jay lifted his brows in surprise.

“Nya, you’re here!”

“Yeah, you just missed all the action. He just flew in, took care of business, and then flew off. It was pretty cool.”

I partially noted Kai managing to shove his way in between Jay and Cole as the crowd began to disperse.

_Something in her tone… seems… off…_

“Ugh! Who is this guy?!”

“Whoever he is, he’s stealing our thunder!”

“And we just got these cool new ninja suits! Agh! I’m gonna say it! I hate Samurai!”

“Oh, stop complaining. At least they got the job done,” I interrupted, folding my arms.

“Do I hear a hint of jealousy?”

I lifted a brow in the direction of Father’s voice.

_Him too?! Dang… I wonder what ride they got to take… Whatever it is, I want one…_

“Maybe this can be a lesson for you.”

We turned to Father, Jay groaning.

“Oh, not another lesson-hey, how’d you get here so quick?”

I shifted my gaze to the blue ninja, “You noticed too?”

The teen shrugged and Father continued.

“The lesson is: Iron sharpens iron.”

“I do not follow, Sensei,” Zane said.

I sighed and ducked my head in exasperation, “He means that a healthy competition can assist you in reaching your true potential faster. It’s a lesson taught to the Sheikah at a very young age.”

Father nodded, “Do not be jealous of this Samurai, let it inspire you,” There was a beat of silence before he suddenly gasped, “Oh! Ferris wheel!”

_Aaand there he goes… Like a three-year-old with a beard..._

“Inspire?” Jay questioned, not at all phased by my father’s sudden outburst.

“Wait a minute. Maybe the old man’s right,” Kai said.

“You want us to compete with the Samurai?” Cole asked in disbelief, “He’s got all the cool gadgets, we don’t stand a chance!”

“No, not with him! With _us_.”

I carefully backed out of the conversation, not really willing to get involved with a contest. Well, now that the snakes were taken care of, might as well retrieve Lloyd.

Over the next few days, I made a habit of keeping a closer eye on Nya and Lloyd. Lloyd was always getting into mischief and Nya… well, there was just something going on with her. Sometimes her body language, facial expressions, and tones just didn’t match up. She was hiding something and it was nothing trivial.

Eavesdropping and partial stalking was, unfortunately, a completely normal habit for Sheikah. They had to for their work with the Royal Family until they were banished. After that, it was taught just in case we were ever called back into the job. And in my case, I was definitely called into a job that required my skills as a Sheikah.

I only felt a little guilty for spying on my friend but I felt I needed to know what was going on. If she was in some kind of danger and felt that she could tell no one, then I wanted to know.

I watched from my place where I managed to wedge myself in the corner of the hallway ceiling as Nya exited her room with a glance around. She was holding what appeared to be a small helmet. The bracelet she always wore was blinking red. That set off red alerts in my head.

_What’s she doing?_

I narrowed my eyes and silently hopped down as she left the hallway. I skulked after her. No way was I going to miss this chance to find out what was going on. Part of me wanted to just leave this alone, that she had a right to her own secrets, but everything Sheikah in me screamed 'suspicious'. And I could not rest until that was taken care of. I followed her onto the upper deck but she stuffed the helmet thing in her pocket. I knew why once I heard voices.

“More snake sightings! Time to go!”

I made my presence known, startling Jay in the process, “I will remain here to look after Lloyd. Nya, may I speak to you in private?”

Nya lifted a brow in question as she neared, “Wouldn’t that be a little weird?”

“It’s only weird if you make it weird,” I replied evenly.

“He’s got a point, sis. Don’t make it weird,” Kai said humorously as he leads the boys to get ready.

Jay frowned but followed after the others. I returned my gaze to Nya, my eyes narrowing again.

“What have you been up to, Nya?”

Her response was to blink in surprise, “W-What? I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Yes, you do. I am fully aware you have been sneaking out and while I feel you have a right to your privacy all your actions point to you hiding something big. You don’t have to tell me, but I will find out eventually.”

“A girl’s got to have her secrets, Sheik,” she answered with a pointed frown.

“I am doing this out of concern for you and this team.”

Nya sighed, “How about a trade, then? You tell me something and I’ll tell you what’s up.”

I stiffened. I had plenty of secrets. I was not ready to give away most and I even planned on taking some to the grave. I needed to come up with something. And quick. Oh, how the tables have turned...

“I… Didn’t I do that a few days ago when you made me spill what was on my mind?” I asked, indignantly.

The whole secrets topic was really making me uncomfortable.

Nya sighed, “Yes, I suppose you did… All right, I’ll tell you. But you have to promise not to say _anything_ to _anyone_.”

“I promise.”

She reluctantly leaned over to whisper in my ear, “I… I’m the Samurai…!” She pulled back grew tense.

Mild surprise struck me. Definitely explained all that weird stuff…

“I see. This explains a lot,” I muttered, “As promised, I will not tell a soul unless you clear it first.”

Nya breath out in relief, “Thank you, Sheik.”

“What do you say we go supervise Lloyd?” I asked.

“Sure.”

Everyone but Lloyd and Father were gathered around the dining table. I had noticed Lloyd hadn’t come to wake me up right before dawn or asked me if he could play with my DS yesterday evening. He was strangely very absent and quiet. I hoped he was okay. There was always the possibility that he was just being occupied by Father as he was absent as well.

_Yes, that must be it… But that feeling in my gut that something’s wrong just won’t go away… Maybe if I just go check on him…_

“Trying to find out the Samurai’s identity is more of a nuisance than the snakes,” Cole said, “Any luck with you?”

I snorted, briefly forgetting my concern for Lloyd.

_Hmm. But she is sitting right next to me. Funny._

“The guy’s elusive. He’s like a ghost. One moment he’s there, the next he’s gone,” Jay said.

“I am starting to believe we may never catch him,” Zane added, “How about you, Sheik?”

I could feel Nya’s eyes on me as I responded in a casual and bored tone.  
“I didn’t agree to be a part of the competition. I have only ever tried working with them, not against them.”

“I think it’s safe to say, none of us are closer to proving we’re the Green Ninja,” Kai replied.

Father slid the door open and I looked up, hoping against hope that precious, little Lloyd would trail in behind him, ready to fire questions at the speed of light.

“Looks like iron is sharpening iron. I feel you getting closer to your true potential,” Father said, though I was hardly paying attention as my heart fell when Lloyd didn’t show.

I snapped back to attention when Cole let out a small ‘ow’.

“Father,” I started, allowing my desperation seep into my voice, “Please tell me you know where Lloyd is.”

“I do not. I thought the rest of you were looking after him?” he asked, mostly looking at the boys.

“I thought Cole was gonna pick him up,” Kai said, glancing at the empty seat beside him where Lloyd usually sat.

“I went to the arcade but he wasn’t there. Jay was-”

“Uh-uh. Don’t bring me into this. I babysat yesterday.”

Zane looked up at me and Father, “Sensei, Sheik, we have not seen him.”

“We must find the boy,” Father said grimly.

We approached the small arcade from different directions. I rode with Zane this time. They returned their vehicles to their weapon forms and we approached Kai who was calling for Lloyd in the arcade.

“He was right here. Someone must have seen him,” Kai said, pointing to his position.

Cole wandered around before calling us over, “Hey, guys. Check this out.”

I stood beside him and stared at the security camera.

“Security footage. Excellent find, Cole.”

**_Third Person-The Lost City of Ouroboros, The Shifting Sands_ **

Lloyd watched the man everyone called the Nightingale as he stood in silence while guarding the cages. Lloyd glanced over at the girl in the cage on the other side of the Great Devourer statue. She looked only a little older than him but was still really tiny. Her bright orange hair made him wonder if she was part of the Gerudo Tribe he’d been hearing so much about. She’d snuck a few glances at him herself as she remained curled into a ball in her cage. She seemed so sad and lonely. He had no clue how long she’d been their prisoner.

They would get out of there. The ninja would come and save them. Sheik would come and save them. Lloyd knew that his cousin was a little distant but he very protective and cared deeply for his friends and family. He was confident that Sheik had noticed his disappearance as soon as he didn’t show up at the usual time for video games. His friends and family had to be out looking for him. They had to.

The five ninjas hid behind a couple of snakes statues and analyzed the situation.

“It appears Pythor has successfully united all of the tribes,” Zane said.

“I know we ruined their last get together, but that’s no reason to not get an invitation. My feelings are hurt,” Cole replied.

Kai glanced around and spotted what they came for, “There’s Lloyd!” he said, pointing to the ten-year-old the cage, “But who’s that in the other cage?”

Sheik observed the other child, a tween girl, her eyes widened.

“But… But that’s a Twili! What is she doing away from her hometown?! Twili never leave their town unless absolutely necessary. So it’s rare enough to see an adult but a child?!”

“Whoa! And look at who they worship!” Jay said in awe, pointing to the giant stone statue of the Great Devourer.

“Let me guess: the Great Devourer,” Cole added.

“All the more reason to get Lloyd and the kid out of here,” Kai replied, drawing his sword, “This comes to an end today!”

Sheik reached out to stop Kai but the red ninja was already charging straight in, the others following. She sighed and ran after them, only them all to be caught in a cage themselves, the Golden Weapons out of their reach.

Recovering, the five found themselves face to face with Pythor.

“Looks like we caught the main event,” he said, letting out a chuckle, “Get them up! And take the Sheikah’s weapons as well.”

Six Serpentine surrounded the cage, Pythor gathering the Golden Weapons. They lifted the cage, pointing their swords threateningly at the teens. Once they removed her visible kunai, Sheik evaluated their predicament.

The swords the snakes guarding them were wielding were of varying strengths. Some seemed to have come from the Lost City after they dug it up while the others may have come with them from the tombs. She could take them out and the boys could make a run for the kids while she kept the others at bay. She may have lost her four main kunai but she always had hidden knives that would not be found in any normal pat down.

Of course, she would also have to deal with the Serpentine Generals if they decided to get their hands dirty. And whatever they were holding prisoner in the dark cell. The odds were not in their favor.

“‘Main event’?! What do you think he meant by ‘main event’?!”

“Peace, Jay. I am trying to formulate an escape plan,” Sheik whispered.

“I have a feeling _we’re_ the main event,” Kai answered Jay’s question.

“Or the main course,” Cole suggested.

“Kai, you may be right. Things really might come to an end today,” Zane said.

“Uh, don’t worry! The Samurai could still come around to save us,” Jay replied.

Sheik huffed in annoyance as one of the Serpentine, a Hypnobrai, guide her away from her companions. They really didn’t make it easy. The Hypnobrai shoved her onto the ground in front of… Sheik stiffened, her eyes blowing wide in fear. She was at the mercy of the Yiga Clan…

Pythor slithered up next to the Nightingale, “A gift to honor our alliance.”

The Nightingale gave a small bow before turning his masked face to Sheik. She gave an involuntary flinch which had her mentally kicking herself for giving off such a weak appearance. Sheikah were supposed to be a fearless, proud, and honorable race. She disgraced her lineage.

“You say you wanted a battle, and I give you one!” Pythor announced, “I give you Ninja versus Samurai!”

‘Oh no… Nya...’ Sheik thought.

The cell doors opened and a fully armored and armed Samurai walked out, arms chained. The snakes who had opened the cell removed the chains and quickly moved out of her way.

“What?! We have to fight the Samurai?! But we don’t even have our Golden Weapons and he has that hulking thing of armor! It-It’s not fair!” Jay yelled.

“I want to see once and for all who is the greatest hero?” Pythor said, “Is it, Samurai or Ninja? Only the victor will be allowed to leave!”

Sheik looked away from the fight, though she could still hear it, and turned her attention to Lloyd and the girl. She needed to get them out of there. This place reminded her too much of the Gerudo Gladiatorial Arena she’d read about in her studies. This was no place for kids. This was no place for the ninja. Speaking of which…

Sheik felt the pull that she associated with the Tornado of Creation. Funny, they hadn’t used that in a long time…

‘Focus, Sheik,’ she told herself.

There was a loud and sudden crash right beside her. Instincts kicked in and she kicked out at the Nightingale. With her captor currently stunned, she jumped up and ran for the nearest cage, the girl’s.

Sheik flicked out her hidden knife and broke the lock with it. Throwing the cage door open, she grabbed the girl and made a run for Lloyd only for Serpentine and the Nightingale to get in her way. Thrusters from Nya’s exo-suit caught her attention but she forced herself to focus for the kids’ sake.

“Go, ninja, go!” Lloyd cried.

Sheik glanced to her left to see Nya in her armor without her exo-suit run toward them. Pythor grabbed Lloyd from his cage to prevent either of them from getting to him.

“GET THEM!!!”

A few Serpentine stalked closer as Sheik backed up in Nya’s direction.

“We are unable to get Lloyd,” her deep, mechanically modified voice said.

Sheik closed her eyes, a deep pain in her heart starting to settle in.

“Magnetizer activated,” Nya said, magnetically summoning the Golden Weapons and Sheik’s kunai.

She caught them with a flag she’d managed to snag on her way down and threw one of her weapon at the lever used to alter the arena. Her weapon returned just as the ground started to tip.

The girl in Sheik’s arms gripped tighter to her rescuer but remained quiet. Nya grabbed Sheik’s hand as she activated her jetpack and flew them up to the top of the Great Devourer statue. Nya bowed mockingly to them to which Sheik felt frustrated about. They needed to get out of there.

Grabbing Sheik in a more secure hold, Nya flew them out of there. The exo-suit was still flying around uncontrollably as there was no pilot guiding its actions. It flew out of our line of sight.

“N-Samurai, your engine is starting to sputter. We’ll crash if we don’t land,” Sheik said.

Nya glanced back at her jetpack as we started to lose altitude.

“Hold on tight and prepare for crash landing.”

The ground came in fast as Sheik adjusted her hold on the child. The puff of sand from the impact had her covering the little girl’s eyes and closing her own. Nya stood up first starting to remove her helmet.

“Testing, testing… One, two…”

Sheik sat up and faced the other way, helping the child stand.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m a little dizzy but fine I’m Midna, by the way,” she answered.

**Sheik**

I look up and saw Kai peeking out from behind a rock formation.

“Nya?” he asked as he approached.

“Steer clear, ninja! Don’t look…”

I glanced back at Nya as I stood up and watched as she removed her helmet.

“...At me…”

“I don’t understand. _You’re_ the Samurai?” Kai asked, “And Sheik knew?”

“It was always a boy’s club. The only one who ever seemed to include me was Sheik. And he noticed something was up a couple of days ago. So, I found my own way to be a hero… Are you mad?” she asked.

“Mad? Of course not. It’s just-all this time, I’ve been trying to protect you and you never needed it. You’re amazing!”

Nya awkwardly punched Kai’s shoulder, “Girl power.”

_Couldn’t have said it any better myself._

“You’re not going to tell the others, are you?” Nya asked.

“But we have a bet! We said that whoever caught the Samurai would be the Green-”

I left Midna’s side give Kai a death glare to which he backed down from.

He sighed, “Of course, I won’t say anything. How did you make all this stuff?” he asked, reaching out to examine her armor.

“You’d be surprised how much spare time I have waiting for you guys to come back from your missions,” Nya answered, moving to pick up the weapons wrapped in the flag and handing them to Kai, “You three better head back before anyone gets suspicious. We’ll have to rescue Lloyd another day.”

“Nya, whenever I get in trouble, the other four always have my back. But you… Just be careful,” Kai said.

“Promise.”  
“But how are you going to get back?”

“I have my ways. Oh, and Kai?”

“Yeah?”

“If anyone would have won the bet, it would have been Sheik.”

Night had fallen. Midna was already asleep in Nya’s room. Father, Nya, and I were listening to Kai explain his side of the story with the other three in the boys’ room. Everyone but Nya and Father were already dressed for bed. The four boys were brushing their teeth.

“He was all mysterious, never said a word. Then handed me the Golden Weapons and poof, he was gone,” Kai said.

I softly snorted at his description. That was one way to put it…

“Poof? He just poofed?” Cole asked in disbelief.

“Whoa-whoa-whoa. Wait a minute, Kai. If the Samurai had his hands on the most powerful weapons in the whole wide world, why would he just give them back to _you_?” Jay asked.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Nya was starting to leave.

“Um, I don’t know. Maybe she-” Kai quickly corrected himself at my and Nya’s panicked expressions, “I mean _he_ ’s not so bad after all. All I do know is that we owe him our lives, and maybe he has made us all a little better.”

“I sense this means the bet is off,” Zane said.

“Thank goodness,” I sighed.

“More importantly, my nephew has found his way into the den of all snakes. I fear there may be no way of rescuing him now,” Father said gravely.

I frowned deeply as I hunched over and gently gripped my left arm. Hopelessness. That was what I felt.

“Sensei, Sheik, there’s always a way,” Kai said.

“And don’t worry. We’ll find it,” Cole assured.

Father smiled at them before guiding me out of the room. We met up with Nya in the hallway right before she entered her room.

“I think you forgot this,” he said, pulling out one of her weapons and handing it to her, “Iron sharpens iron, and sibling sharpens sibling.”

Father walked away leaving a smiling Nya behind. No words were exchanged between us but one smile from me and she knew the meaning behind it. She nodded and entered her room. I walked the rest of the way to my room, the silence heavy. Lloyd would be rescued eventually. Even if I had to storm the Serpentine myself.

**Wu(Third person)**

Concern. He was concerned. Not only was his nephew in the hands of the Serpentine, but the snakes had also captured a Twili child. If that wasn’t concerning enough, the medical journal he recently started reading suggested... tough times were ahead for his adopted daughter. It pained him more than he could put into words. And to think he inadvertently set those terrible things to come into motion with his own two hands...

As far as he knew, Sheik had not exhibited much more than behavioral differences. He had to leave but he didn’t want to have his daughter to experience pain alone in his absence. He would have to ask one of his students to keep a close watch on her and provide comfort when she needed it. That was the best they could do for her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you notice a difference in my writing when you were reading the third person pov part, it was intentional.


	10. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wu leaves to find Garmadon and Zane unlocks his true potential. And Sheik finds herself facing more of her demons.

I heard another groan from Nya. I glanced up at her from brushing Midna’s hair while she played one of my games. She and Jay were trying to locate any kind of Serpentine activity to find Lloyd. So far, nothing was working. 

“Another error?” Kai asked from his chair where he’d been lounging for the past half hour, making suggestions but not actually doing anything to help.

“Yep. Fifteenth one in the past five minutes,” Jay answered tiredly, “You know, for such an advanced system we have so many issues with it.”

“Can’t you just, fix it?”

“It’s not as easy as you make it out to be, Kai. You’ve got to actually locate the problem.”

Midna bounced up from her stool, almost causing me to yank the brush out, and jogged over to the main console.

“I can help!”

“You understand advanced computers? But you’re like, two-years-old!” Jay exclaimed.

“Twelve and a half, actually… Wait, was that a reference to my size?! And yes!”

Jay lifted a brow in question toward Nya who merely shrugged and stepped aside. Midna gave them a surprisingly creepy smirk and got to work. Kai and I looked on curiously as the Twili’s fingers moved quickly over the keys.

“Okay! Now try!”

Jay and Nya exchanged glances before the Master of Lightning pressed a button. The screen came to life and pulled up a map of Ninjago. The teens in front of the monitor were stunned. Kai barked a laugh.

“Did we just get outsmarted by a twelve-year-old?” Jay asked.

Midna giggled and skipped back over to me and sat back down, the game in hand. I resumed brushing her hair shooting Jay and Nya an amused look. Not a moment later did Cole and Zane come running into the room.

“Hey, guys! Zane wants to try-Whoa! What’s got you two so shocked?” Cole asked.

Midna and I snickered as quietly as possible but it seemed it wasn’t quite enough to escape the two that just came in. That earned us a few more confused glances.

“Little Midna is smarter than she lets on,” Kai answered, giving the twelve-year-old an approving smirk.

“Glad to see she’s made herself at home! But Zane wants to try and break his old record for holding his breath,” Cole said.

That had Jay and Kai running to join them excitedly.

“C’mon, Sheik!”

I turned to Nya as I set down the brush, “Would you mind looking after Midna while I join them?”

She smiled, “Of course not! She can help me look for Lloyd.”

I nodded my thanks and moved to join my other friends. We walked out to the upper deck and Kai prepared a stopwatch.

“Okay, last time you got to five minutes and fifteen seconds. Whenever you’re ready!” Kai said, giving the Ice Ninja a thumbs up.

Zane nodded and dove overboard. Kai started his stopwatch and thus started the waiting game. The other three began to pass the time with gossip which I opted to stay out of.

It’d been so quiet with Lloyd gone. Even with the chatty and snarky Midna around. It just wasn’t the same as Lloyd’s innocent and rather blunt questions that he’d spew out at a mile a minute.

I didn’t know what Serpentine did with their prisoners aside from what they did to us. But I believe that may have been a trap because of their possession of Lloyd. The Yiga make use of their prisoners, as do the Gerudo and Sheikah. Some more… er… _harsh_ than others.

Jay’s close presence behind me broke me from my thoughts.

“Jay, what are you doing?” I asked, keeping my voice casual.

There was no movement, no sound for a couple of seconds. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Cole and Kai covering their mouths to hide their smiles. I turned my head look at Jay. He was frozen mid-outreach toward me, specifically my head. I lifted a brow in question. Jay seemed to snap out of his shock and quickly pointed at Kai and Cole.

“They dared me to do it.”

“Dared you to do what?”

Jay shifted awkwardly on his feet and a few snickers came from the two on my left.

“...To touch your hair…” he mumbled finally.

I stiffened. _That_ had me a little creeped out. Hopefully, I wouldn’t regret asking...

“W-Why…?” I hesitantly asked.

“It looks like it’s really soft,” Kai answered without any shame, “Do you do anything special to it?”

My face heated up and my spine went rigid, “Um… N-No? C-Can you refrain from such… comments? Please?”

Cole snorted in amusement while Jay and Kai chuckled.

“Sorry. We couldn’t resist. You’re so uptight that you’re just too easy,” Kai replied.

A groan rose up from my throat as I realized that I’d fallen into their trap.

“Ten minutes! He just broke his own record! The guy’s inhuman!” Kai exclaimed abruptly.

_Whoa! Ten minutes of holding his breath? That’s… very impressive!_

Zane surfaced only a few seconds later, gasping for air. The boys started cheering wildly and I clapped a couple of times. Jay mock bowed causing me to lift a brow.

“We’re not worthy!”

I rolled my eyes in amusement at his antics.

“I broke the record?” Zane asked.

“You destroyed it!” Kai answered.

“Okay, okay. Is anyone thinking what I’m thinking?” Jay asked, “We’ve been training for so long, I don’t think we can get any better. Just think about all we’ve accomplished!”

I assisted Zane in climbing back onto the deck.

“The question should be raised. Perhaps we have reached our full potential?” he asked.

“There is always room for improvement,” I replied.

“Come on! Let’s go ask Sensei!” Jay yelled, completely ignoring me.

They all ran off, prompting a sigh out of me as I moved to follow them. I caught up a minute later finding them in Father’s room.

“Sensei, what does true potential look like if-”

They seemed to realize that Father was otherwise occupied. They stopped abruptly and bowed.

“Our apologies, Sensei. We’ve interrupted you,” Zane said.

I stood next to Jay with a deep frown as I took notice of Father putting his katana in its case. What was he doing?

“I’m sorry if I’m distant lately. My mind has been elsewhere since Lloyd has gone missing… What can I help you with?”

“Sensei,” Cole started, “what if we’ve done enough training? What if we’ve reached our true potential? What if we’re ready?”

“You may have reached peak _physical_ condition, but you’ve yet to reach your _inner_ potential. In each and every one of us, there are obstacles that hold us back. Only when you conquer that fear will your heart be free. Only then will you reach your true potential. Only then will we have a fighting chance to stop the Serpentine from releasing the Great Devourer.”

Zane walked forward, placing a gentle hand on Father’s shoulder, “There’s more to the Great Devourer than you’ve led on, isn’t there, Sensei?”

Father sighed deeply, “I too have obstacles within my own heart. There’s a story I never told you.”

I frowned. I hadn’t heard this one before…?

“Long ago, when I was a young boy Garmadon and I were more than brothers. We were the best of friends.”

“Wait a minute!” Jay interrupted gesturing wildly, “I know you two were brothers, but really? The King of Cruelty, the Doer of Destruction, the Captain of Chaos. And you two were friends?”

“Please,” Father said, lifting a hand, “No interruptions. You see, he did not always have a wicked heart. One day, I lost this very katana. Knowing our father would be mad, my brother told me to go retrieve it. But I refused. He told me not to put off what can be done today and went to get it himself. When my father found him, he was very ill. For he was bitten by a legendary snake that would grow forever as long as it consumes. A great evil had found its way into my brother’s heart. For the snake’s venom could turn the purest of things wicked. The snake is the same one the Serpentine want to re-awaken today. It is the snake that took my brother away from me.”

“So, the Great Devourer turned your brother into the Dark Lord?” Kai asked.

Father sighed once more, “It was all my fault.”

My brows furrowed as I thought hard on that.

_No,_ I decided, _No it was not._

Father closed the case and picked it up, “You five have finished your training. You must now focus on stopping Pythor and the Yiga from collecting the four Fangblades. But never lose focus on the obstacles that lie within each of your hearts that holds you back from true greatness. Unlock your true potential.”

I did not like the way he was speaking. It almost sounded like he was… leaving…

“But how are we supposed to do that, Sensei?” Zane asked.

“That is up to each of you to discover. Now, I must go on a personal journey of my own.”

_I knew it!_

Father began his walk to his bedroom door.

“Where are you going?” Jay asked.

“To a place, you cannot follow.”

“If you’re going for Lloyd, the City of Ouroboros is filled with hundreds of Serpentine! You’ll never do it alone!” Cole exclaimed.

“I am going to find someone who can be of aid. The Serpentine have united and grown stronger and we will need all the help we can get. Which reminds me… Zane, may I speak with you alone?”

Everyone frowned at that but left for the upper deck, myself included.

_He’s leaving… I want to go with him… I know I can’t but… that doesn’t stop me from desiring it…_

Aside from the times he went to collect the boys, this would be the first time I had ever been without his presence for more than an afternoon.

The guys were trying to guess what Father may be talking to Zane about but all three came up empty-handed. Midna had run out in the middle of it, intending to playfully spar with Jay who had quickly become one of her favorites. Nya came out a couple minutes later having realized that Midna had escaped her watchful eyes. Zane and Father came up from below deck speaking quietly to each other.

I huffed quietly as the green-eyed monster making an appearance.

_No, you’re not jealous! Just… upset that Father’s leaving you behind and you want to spend as much time with him before he leaves…_

Apparently, Kai, Jay, Cole had filled Nya and Midna in on what Father was doing as their expressions were a little dimmer than they had been.

Fear struck me deep as we watched Father leave our line of sight.

_I wonder if he will be alright on his own._

**_Of course, he will. He is probably stronger than the rest of us combined._ **

_But what if he was caught off guard and ambushed?_

**_No, he’s much more in tune with his surroundings than most._ **

_What if the Yiga Clan found us while he was gone?_

**_You have the rest of the team to back you up, you’ll be fine._ **

_I’ll miss him dearly…_

**_Of course, you will. He is your adoptive father, after all._ **

I huffed. Now, I was talking to myself. I truly was going insane.

A hand was gently placed on my shoulder. I glanced back to see Zane watching me quietly, his gaze a silent question. I pointedly turned away and walked away from their presence.

“Sheik, could you help us at least a little?” Kai asked as he put up another flier.

“I am helping,” I deadpanned, “I am keeping _her_ occupied.”

Midna was hanging out on my shoulders and giving everyone at least a little grief. Kai sighed, reluctantly seeing my point and walked to the next building. Nya put up another flier and Zane sighed.

“Oh, this is silly,” he said.

“You have any better ideas?” Cole asked.

“Hey, maybe Sensei is gonna go get the Samurai for help,” Jay suggested abruptly.

“Uh, the-the-the Samurai? I’m sure she’s-I mean _he’s_ busy looking for the Fangblades as well,” Kai said hastily.

Cole turned to him, a little confused, “Uh, is everything all right?”

“Yeah, yeah! Why wouldn’t it be?”

Nya walked up next to her brother, “One hundred percent. We’re not hiding anything.”

I scoffed softly beside them, “Yah. Real subtle.”

Midna giggled in amusement above me.

“Hey, weirdo! You’re making a mess of my storefront.”

I turned to look at the shopkeeper who was glaring at Zane. The Ice Ninja was staring off into space… almost literally… and fliers were being blown from his arms.

“Yoo-hoo! You got a problem? Maybe I should teach you a lesson on manners!”

Zane dropped the rest of his fliers and wandered off. I quickly rushed forward.

“I apologize, good sir. Sometimes our friend is in another world.”

“He’s littering all over the place!”  
Cole, Kai, and Jay ran over to assist me.

“We’ll pick it up,” Cole said.

“So sorry,” Kai added.

The shopkeeper walked back inside. They knelt down and began gathering the fallen fliers while Jay walked over to Zane.

“Zane, what’s the deal?”

Zane slowly pointed up to the sky. We followed his gesture up to a good familiar dark-feathered bird. Jay gasped as we heard the falcon’s cry.

“It’s the falcon! Oh, my gosh! Every time we follow it, it leads us to good fortune!”

Zane, Jay, and Cole ran after the bird and I set Midna down beside Nya who was collecting the rest of the papers.  
“Head back to the Bounty and wait till you hear from us,” Kai told her.

“But where are you going?!” she asked, looking at Midna helplessly.

“We’re gonna follow the bird,” Kai said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Who knows, it could lead us to the first Fangblade.”

Kai then ran after them. I gave Nya a sympathetic smile before chasing after them.

After a long and rather arduous run into the snow-ridden areas of Ninjago and one by one the guys staying behind to catch their breath, Kai, Zane, and I made it to the Birchwood Forest.

A great uneasiness had me stalling once we reached the blotched trees. We were… closer the Sheikah Village than I had ever been in… years. Part of me wondered if they still sent out scouts in the surrounding area and if they went this far. After all, the Frozen Wasteland was just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Kai stopped next to me, bending over to catch his breath. Zane merely stood in front of us, his eyes trailing the falcon.

“Gosh, that bird just keeps _going_ …!” Kai said pausing to breathe again. He pointed at a sign five feet away, “Hey, what do you make of this?”

Zane furrowed his brows at the sign that read ‘Beware of Treehorns.’.

“I am not familiar with a Treehorn,” Zane said.

“It’s probably just some wild squirrels, heh.”

I shook my head, “Treehorns are actually large, four-legged beings that walk these woods, camouflaged with the trees. They almost look like a cross between an insect and a deer… or that’s what the stories say.”

“Psh, it sounds like a buncha baloney.”

The falcon called again, grabbing our attention.

“Well, don’t lose him! I’ll wait for the other guys to catch up.”

“I will as well.”

Zane nodded to the two of us, although a little hesitant to leave us behind, giving me a long stare before running after the bird. Kai collapsed on his back, taking deep breaths. I shook my head with a roll of my eyes.

_Drama king…_

“So what was all that about?”

I gazed down at Kai with hard eyes, “Excuse me? And at least stand up. You’ll freeze if you keep sitting there.”

Kai huffed in annoyance but complied, “Zane was looking at you funny.”

“You all look at me funny at some point.”

Kai groaned, “You know what I mean!”

“Do I?”

He opened his mouth to argue but closed it again. He folded his arms and glared at the snow.

After about fifteen minutes of absolute silence aside from the occasional bird, huffing from Jay and Cole reached our ears. We turned to the two as they finally caught up.

“About time, you two!” Kai yelled, waving them over.

“Agh…! How much farther do we have to run?” Jay wheezed.

“Not much,” I answered, “Though I do have to ask… Why didn’t you guys just take your elemental vehicles here?”

“We got to keep up the ‘in peak physical condition’ thing.”

I shrugged, accepting the answer for now instead of just calling them stupid and sparking an argument we probably didn’t have time for.

“Come on, we still need to catch up with Zane,” Cole said, leading the rest of the way.

Entering a building disguised as a tree was… interesting. It threw me off briefly but once the shock of it wore off, I was thoroughly impressed. Very creative. There was a spiral staircase leading down to the main floor that was open to the rest of the room.

“Zane?” Kai called.

“Wow, would you look at this place?” Jay asked.

“Indeed, Jay. Quite a creative work of art,” I said before looking down at the main floor.

Zane was hunched over on the floor. Concern for my friend increased and I risked the jump from my position almost at the top of the stairs. I landed softly beside him and kneeled. He was hiding his face in his hands as if he were… afraid.

“Zane. Zane, speak to me.”

The rest of the guys ran over.

“Are you hurt?”

“Are you okay?”

Zane sighed and lifted his face, turning to the workstation to his right instead of us. He lifted a blueprint off of it and observed it before discarding it behind him. He stood up reaching for his torso and his chest… _just opened up_. Wires and switches were there for the four of us to see.

Yells and exclamations of shock echoed in the tiny room.

“You’re… a robot?!” Kai asked in disbelief.

I got to my feet placing a hand over my obscured mouth.

“All this time… and I never knew…” Zane replied in a quieter tone than I have ever heard him use.

“Uh, guess this explains why you’re always acting so weird. Right? Heh-heh,” Jay said awkwardly.

I elbowed him. Hard. The Lightning Ninja let out a pained yelp.

Zane mostly ignored him and continued, “The reason I never had a sense of humor was because my funny switch wasn’t on,” He reached up and flicked a switch, closing his panel.

Music began to play, one unfamiliar to my ears, and he began to dance to it.

“-Hello, my baby! Hello, my honey! Hello, my ragtime gal! Send me a kiss by a wire-”

He ended the show with a, quite honestly, silly pose. Jay wasted no time laughing it up to the point he was in tears. I, however, grew more concerned as Zane deactivated his funny switch and released a deep, sorrowful sigh. He fell to his knees. I just barely kept myself from rushing forward to comfort him.

“Uh, it just makes you more special. You’re still the same Zane. Just more, uh, gears,” Cole said awkwardly.

Kai walked forward, “No matter what you’re made of, you’re still our brother.”

Zane looked up at us, “Really?”

“In fact, I bet it makes you a better ninja!” Cole said.

Jay, not wanting to be left behind, quickly added in his piece, “Yeah, and how cool is it that I can honestly say: My brother’s a Nindroid.”

Zane lifted a brow, as did I.

“A Nindroid?” we echoed. 

“Now, come on,” Cole said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Pythor is still out there looking for the first Fangblade, and we need you.”

Zane turned away, “You’ll have to go on without me. I just... don’t feel right.”

Seeing that Zane needed some time to process everything, we turned to leave the building.

“We just have to give him time,” Kai said as we exited the tree, “I don’t know how I would feel if I was told I was a robot.”

“You mean a Nindroid,” Jay corrected.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“How the heck do we get out of this place?” Cole asked.

“I can guide us through here. I know these woods well-” I cut myself off, “Do you feel that?”

A growl nearly cut me off a second time.

“What’s that?” Cole asked a large footstep became audible.

“Cute, tiny birds?” Jay suggested nervously.  
The boys pulled down their hoods and looked around on high alert. I noticed movement when another footstep was heard.

“Did you see that?!”

“I didn’t see anything!”

“I saw it too!”

I slowly lifted my eyes to meet the many red of the Treehorns, “Treehorns!”

We were surrounded. Drawing our weapons, we stood back to back, ready to defend each other. A glance to my left had me groaning. There was a sparking and twitching golden robot resting in the snow.

“Oh great, I think that thing was supposed to protect this place,” Kai said, also having noticed it, “Guys, it’s up to us.”

The Treehorns hissed and snarled as they closed in on their prey, us. I managed to roll out of the way of the legs the first time only to get hit the second. The force of the blow sent me flying into Jay. We collapsed, coughing up snow… although it was more cold water now. A hoof kicked us apart not a second later, knocking the air out of me again. I shakily tried to stand only for a hoof to pin me down. I desperately tried pushing it off, kick my legs out.

_No! Get off! I can’t-_

“There’s just too many of them!”

_Breathe. Focus. Just as she taught you. Breathe in._

Kick.

_Breathe out. Nope! This just doesn’t work in this situation!_

“Leave my friends alone! Ninja, go!”

Out of the corner of my eye, Zane’s icy blue Spinjitzu glowed as he forced the Treehorns to back off from us. I unsteadily got to my feet, my bones and muscles aching. Bruises. Oh, so many bruises.

Zane was knocking Treehorns down left and right. It was quite the sight to behold.

“What’s gotten into Zane?” Cole asked.  
“I don’t know, but I like it!” Kai replied as we regrouped.

“Ninja, go!”

Being given the chance to actually use our powers made things much easier and we had them back off in a couple of minutes.

“Are they… re-grouping?” Jay asked.

A horrible realization dawned on me, “Oh no… Because their food is… being difficult, they’ve called on their queen…”

The Queen Treehorn made her appearance, much larger and creepier than the rest.

“That’s their queen?!” Jay yelped.

Zane stood directly in front of us protectively as the Treehorn roared.

“You will not hurt my friends! There is nothing that will hold me back!”

Zane pulled out his shurikens as he started to glow a bright blue.

“I KNOW WHO I AM!”

A column of light shot up from around him as he started to... (Gasp)defy gravity!

“What’s happening to him?” Kai asked, “Was he programmed to do that?”

“I’ve never seen a robot do _that_!” Jay exclaimed.

“You mean Nindroid,” Cole corrected.

“Yeah, whatever…!”  
“Zane’s unlocked his true potential!”

Zane performed Spinjitzu around the Queen before going back around to the front. A beam of ice encased the creature and Zane’s power died. He fell to the ground, back to normal. Well, normal for Zane anyway.

We rush forward and helped our friend to his feet as the rest of the Treehorns went back into the depths of the woods.

“What happened?” Zane asked.

“That was so awesome!”

Like I said before. Dial. Jay needs one.

“You should’ve seen yourself!”

“I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Zane stared at his hands, “This must be what Sensei meant about unlocking our hearts,” he stood and turned to us, “I remember now. I remember everything. I remember my father and how he cared for me. I remember where I came from. And I feel stronger for knowing.”

“I’m so jealous! His powers are so cool!” Cole yelled.

“We have our very own Nindroid!” Jay added.

The boys jumped up and high-fived and I backed off.

“So, uh… how are we getting back?” Cole asked.

I facepalmed, “I said I’d guide us out, didn’t I?"

“Lead the way,” Kai said, gesturing to the way we originally came from.

We began our trek. A few excited conversations between the four behind me sparked here and there as we went.

“So, uh… How do you know these woods so well?” Jay asked.

I knelt down and examined the snow beneath our feet. There were prints from a human or humanoid. It was too fresh to be one of us. We were not alone…

“I spent a lot of time here when I was a child,” I replied absently as the gears of my brain were turning.

Someone could be watching us right now. And if it were going to be anyone, it would be a Sheikah. And they know how to mask their presence. It took a very perceptive Sheikah to sense another.

It took me a few seconds to realize Jay was speaking to me. It all felt like background noise in my intense focus. I didn’t bother tuning back in to find out what he was trying to say. It was most likely nonsense anyway.

I scanned the area before me with trained eyes, searching for any kind of disturbance. My chest tightened with the anxiety I felt. My decision would either kill us or get us captured.

I stood up and squared my shoulders, my hands falling closer to my weapons.

“I know you’re there!”

The thick silence extended for far longer than made me comfortable. The four behind me seemed to understand we were possibly in danger and readied themselves for whatever.

The shadows around us shifted and beings with red eyes and hair as white as snow made themselves known. I shifted in such a way that would hide my lyre. Who knows how they’d react to that.

_Oh, I knew this is a bad idea! They’re going to find out I was the banished one and we’re going to die!_

**_Get a hold of yourself! You’re not going to die! Just remain calm. And trust in your brothers._ **

“Whoa, Sheik, they look like… like… you!” Jay yelped.

“Well, you’re one of them, right? We’re cool?” Kai asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately, no. We’re not cool. And I’m not one of them,” I answered.

“So do we draw our weapons or what?” Cole asked.

A man that I recognized as Dorian was the first to move closer. His body language suggested caution and curiosity but not hostile intentions. Yet. There was always a yet.

“I do not think they wish to harm us,” Zane whispered.

“You, Sheikah!”

I narrowed my eyes at Dorian, my clenched fists trembling at my side.

“I don’t recognize you. What is your name?”

“...Sheik…”

“And… do you associate yourself with these people?”

“I do.”

I was not going to lie about working and living with my team. A Sheikah in the background snorted and glared at us. Dorian gave the person a glare before returning his attention to us.

Jay, tired of the tense and hostile air, decided to jump in front of me with a big, nervous smile.

“I’m Jay! We’re the guys dealing with the Serpentine. You may have heard of us.”

I grabbed Jay’s shoulder and pulled him back with a whisper, “Jay. Don’t. These people are not to be trusted,” I raised my voice loud enough for them all to hear, “If there is no issue here, then we will take our leave.”

“You need come with us to see the Chieftess, Sheik. You are of our kind and wear our insignia with pride, yet we do not know you.”

_NO!! No, I can’t go back! Can’t go back!_

**_Then leave. It’s that simple. Have the others use their elemental vehicles and GO!_ **

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” I said slowly.

“Yeah, if he’s going anywhere, we’re going with him!” Kai said.

“We are on a tight schedule as it is,” Zane added, "We should go."

Cole and Jay nodded in agreement and readied to make a break for it if necessary.

“If they do not comply, be prepared to use your elemental vehicles to escape,” I breathed.

“So be it,” Dorian said, “Capture them.”

Kai shoved us toward the one spot that had yet to be blocked, “NOW!!”

They summoned their vehicles, Jay taking me in his Storm Glider.

“Do _not_ stop until we reach Jamanikai!” I ordered.

We all sped off, leaving the Sheikah scouts in our powdered snow.

“Sheik, what the heck was that?!” Cole shouted over the comm.

“Those were the original Sheikah. They were scouts. Don’t worry, as long as we keep moving they won’t be able to catch up.”

“Yeah, but why were they so-?”

“Hostile? We were getting too close to their territory for comfort. And they do not like the thought of rogues. Rogues are either banished Sheikah or they left of their own volition. Neither one is good for them.”

“W-Which one were you?” Jay asked quietly.

I quieted.

_Are they ready to know?_

**_Have them figure it out themselves._ **

“He was banished,” Zane answered.

I flinched, “That was awfully fast…”

“I have known for a few days.”

“Oh…”

“Why were you banished?” Jay asked.

I frowned deeply, “Don’t… talk to me…”

The rest of the way back to the Destiny’s Bounty was silent. Feeling utterly drained from the encounter, I headed straight to my room. I dove into my bed after changing into more comfortable clothes.

_Too close… Too close, too soon..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this one. Really struggled. Cry! But would you look at that? No point of view change!


	11. Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dark power within the lyre is revealed. Jay and Nya go on a date. And Sheik is a sheltered teen.

_I was six again. So many Yiga. They have me cornered. How did they find me?!_

_“No… No…! No-no-no-no-no-no-no! No! Go away! I haven’t done anything to you! Please, leave me alone!”_

_I curled into a defensive ball as they raised their sickles and windcleavers._

_“No! Father! Father, help me! Please! I’m scared! FATHER!!!”_

_Pain… So excruciating… the blood, so much… too much..._

_“D-D-Daddy… *sob* W-Where are you…? It hurts… It hurts so much…”_

_**Third person-Destiny’s Bounty** _

Agonized screams echoed throughout the ship, startling the residents awake. Zane was the first to make a break for the source, the others following not far behind. Nya was already outside Sheik’s door, Midna poking her head out of her and Nya’s room.

Zane didn’t give the girls a second glance and opened his brother’s door. The sight was horrifying. A dim-glowing, indigo hand-like appendage coming from the lyre was encircling Sheik. It was phasing into his chest, evidently causing severe pain.

Sheik himself was curled into a fetal position, his blankets almost constricting him. His face was scrunched up in pain with sweat starting to glide down it.

Gasps from the rest of his brothers came from behind Zane. He didn’t waste any more time standing around gawking and charged at the hand, ready to fight. The hand retracted almost as if it realized it’d been caught. It withdrew back into the lyre, leaving its shivering, unconscious wielder behind.

“What the heck _was_ that?!” Jay shrieked, forgetting his silence.

Zane recognized the symptoms and knew that the Sheikah would have no recollection of this event.

“I do not know for sure but I think we should keep Sheik as far away from his lyre as possible,” Zane responded to Jay’s question.

“And keep a closer eye on him,” Kai agreed.

**Sheik**

Everyone was acting strangely around me. I had no idea why. I couldn’t think of anything different that had happened lately, aside from the Sheikah encounter. But that was old news and I’ve mostly gotten over it.

I pushed the thoughts aside as everyone seemed to have stopped today. But it also had me a little suspicious. I felt that the boys were up to something. Again, I forced myself to focus on my task. I was _supposed_ to be helping Nya with teaching the boys about the different Serpentine tribes.

What frustrated me was that she didn’t allow me to help this time. And what had me extremely negativity-pony was that she’d managed to convince me that I didn’t need to drag my lyre around everywhere with me. I totally did not take it everywhere… just… most places. But you couldn’t blame me! I was tasked with protecting it! And how could I protect it if it wasn’t in my line of sight almost all the time?

I suddenly slammed my hands down on my workspace, completely fed up with my brain going off on tangents. Nya jumped beside me, startled from studying her notes by my sudden violent action. I took a deep breath and apologetically turned to her.

“I’m sorry… I just can’t focus.”

“It’s okay. Why don’t you set up the Fangpyre skeleton? That won’t take too much thought.”

I nodded at the suggestion and set to work. Midna skipped into the room, humming a tune as she went. She lit up when she saw the snake remains.

“Whoa! Can I help?” she asked.

I nodded to her, “Just be careful. Don’t go anywhere near the fangs. We don’t want you turning into a snake.”

She assisted me in carefully moving the skeleton onto the table from the display case it’d been sent in. Once that was done, we set up the monitors and papers for taking notes.  
“Thanks for the help, you two,” Nya said.

A few minutes later, the rest of the team arrived and took their places at the table. Midna sat down on a wooden stool, looking incredibly bored.

“Some villagers unearthed the remains of this Fangpyre a few miles away. It predates the Golden Age and must be hundreds of years old. Although the venom in the fangs of the Fangpyre genetically mutate human/humanoid cells into reptilian, we’ve learned that there could be a way to stop the effects without having to create an antivenin. If one is able to wildly raise their heart rate, hypothetically it could reverse the venom’s effects. Resulting in… diminished, uh-”

Nya paused, face turning an unhealthy shade of red. I moved to her side, concerned that she could be ill.

“Excuse me, is someone wearing perfume? I am severely allergic to perfume.”

So she was having an allergic reaction. _Good thing I know a thing or two about herbal remedies from Father._

Jay jumped, a guilty look on his face as he whispered to the lounging Kai, “Heh. You told me it was men’s cologne.”

“Eh, I get them mixed up.”

The boys, save Jay, started laughing, Kai and Zane high-fiving. Well, at least I found out why they were so quiet that morning. But that was very mean if she was severely allergic.

Zane was the first to stand up with his notes in hand, the others following.

“Ah, looks like class is over. Time to start stomping some Serpentine before they find any Fangblades!” Cole said enthusiastically.

“Sounds like a plan!” Kai replied.

“I’m excited to join,” Zane said.

Everyone started leaving the room, aside from me and Nya. We began to clean up.

“I know some herbal remedies that can help with your allergies. I can prepare you some when we’re done here,” I said.

“Thanks.”

I noticed Jay had not left yet and turned to face him with a lifted brow. He was not focused on me but rather on Nya. I understood the look on his face. He wanted to apologize.

“I just remembered how long it usually takes to find the right herbs. If you finish up here, I’ll go get everything set up.”

“Okay, I’ll be there shortly.”

I walked past Jay, whispering good luck to him as I went.

“Nya…”

She turned to me with a concerned expression at the obvious hesitation in my tone.

“You said you were going on a date… What… What exactly does that mean?”

Now she just looked confused, “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean-” I sighed in frustration at myself, “What is a ‘date’? O-Other than a time and a… fruit…”

She stared unblinkingly at me for the next minute in utter silence. I felt stupid. Why was I even asking her this? Yes, I was curious and confused but it doesn’t seem like life depends on it…

“You… really don’t know what a date it?”

“No? I-Is it important?!”

“Well… it is to some people, I guess… But… Oh, boy… This is going to be a long topic. You at least know the basics of romance, right?”

I nodded, “I have decided that it is something I do not need nor want.”

“Okay, well, that makes this a ton easier. A date is when two people who like each other go out and do something fun to get to know each other and bond.”

“But… isn’t that like the same thing as an outing with friends?”

“Same concept, yes.”

“Interesting…”

Nya’s bracelet blinked, “Oh. Duty calls. I’ll be back later,” she said as she went to suit up.

“Yes. Farewell.”

Monitor duty was quite boring. All you do is sit there until something comes up. At least I was permitted to get lost in my thoughts.

We were all on separate monitors. Well, aside from Zane, who was steering, and Jay, who was off doing who knows what. Midna was busy playing with a finger trap off in the corner beside Zane.

I blinked lazily at the screen, suppressing a yawn. Sleep… I did not get enough… or maybe it was just because I was a teen. That’s considered normal teen behavior, right? I did wonder what being a normal teen was like. Public school, friends, being separated into groups… Nope. I preferred my life as it was now, with my brothers and sisters, my father and (missing)cousin, my home and my mission.

My train of thought hardly renewed my vigor but at least it gave me peace of mind. I was content with where I was in my training. I was content with my place among my family. But that brought up the one thing that had been bothering me lately. Lloyd’s capture.

I was very concerned about him. He was in the thrall of the Serpentine and there was absolutely nothing I could do to help him. I felt useless in that sense. That left me miserable.

Jay entered the room looking much, _much_ fancier than usual. I quickly cataloged and dismissed his presence, returning to my work.

“Whoa, where are you going Mr. Fancy?”

Cole’s voice snapped me from my concentration which prompted a sigh from me.

“Didn’t you hear? I’m taking Nya to a nice restaurant. A _really_ nice restaurant.”

“You might want to change your plans,” Kai intervened, “The bridge just picked up evidence of Serpentine activity over at Mega Monster Amusement Park.”

He pulled up a picture of Pythor taking a picture with a family as we walked over to join him.

“Hey, that’s Pythor,” Jay said.

“Congratulations, Captain Obvious,” I snarked.

“Pythor would not be there for fun,” Zane spoke up before anyone had a chance to reply to my comment, “We believe a Fangblade may be buried beneath the park.”

“We can’t let them get it!” Jay exclaimed, “Oh… but my date…”

“Jay, if they get all four of them, Pythor can unleash the Great Devourer. Get your priorities straight, man,” Kai said.

Jay looked disappointed for a mere three seconds before he got a look that screamed ‘Light bulb’.

“I can just change the location to Mega Monster Amusement Park! That way I can be on hand if you really need me!”

Kai shrugged and looked to the rest of us. Midna jumped in between Kai and Jay.

“Well, I agree with the plan! Oh, and while I’m at it… Can I go with you? You can’t just leave me here on my own. I might get into trouble,” she gave us her toothy grin.

“She can go on a few rides while we deal with the snakes,” Cole suggested.

“Or, maybe, Sheik can sit this mission out and-”

“Kai, if you finish that sentence, so help me I’ll make sure you’ll never speak again.”

“Okay, okay! She can come!”

I was hesitant about letting Midna wander around on her own but she was a responsible tween and-Oh, who was I kidding? She was worse than Lloyd sometimes. Either way, it had to be done. We had Serpentine to take care of and being down one team member meant we had to be at the top of our A-game. Except…

“Where is everybody?” Kai asked, glancing around.

Screaming citizens ran out of the supposedly scary ride, answering Kai’s question.

“Wait a minute. That ride was never scary,” Cole said.

“Venomari,” Zane replied.

“Should we get Jay?” Kai asked.

“Let’s not bother the two lovebirds. I think we can handle this,” Cole answered.

I nodded my agreement, “After all, that’s what I’m here for.”

Running in the opposite direction that people were fleeing was… hard. In their blind panic they just ran anywhere they could get away from the danger without considering other people. Multiple apologies from us were thrown around as we entered the ride. It was dimly lit with very pathetic props that wouldn’t scare a toddler if they tried.

“The first Fangblade is ours!”

That was Pythor. We ran ahead but came to a stop when we saw the Serpentine with the Fangblade. We drew our weapons. I was prepared to dive right in but the boys stopped me from completing the thought.

“Not so fast!”

I growled lowly when they started to argue about one-liners. Why did those even exist?! They were a major distraction on an actual battlefield. These were life and death situations not a Wednesday morning cartoon for kids!

I rushed forward, ignoring my arguing companions, and attacking the enemy. Pythor and Skales were my main concern. As I was about to make a break for them rush of cold air hit me and I realized too late that Zane was about to use his powers. There was a blinding light and small shards of ice assaulted my body. I was faintly aware of something absolutely freezing encasing my right foot. I opened my eyes and realized Zane had messed up and frozen himself and the other two along with my foot instead of the snakes.

Uproarious laughter from the snakes had me distracted from processing a plan of a escape. They didn’t waste much more time standing around and quickly vacated the area. I immediately set to work on using my kunai to chip away at the ice holding me prisoner. It was a long and quite annoying process.

I had noted and quickly dismissed the fact that Kai was using the Sword of Fire to melt their way out. It was obviously going to be a while for them. And I was not going to wait for them.

With one final whack, the ice broke, freeing me from my frozen shackles. I didn’t waste a second to run out to see if I could find the Serpentine. Once I was free of the dark tunnels, I could only see people going about their business at the park. No snakes other than designs, props, and costumes were anywhere to be seen. I punched the support beam beside me in frustration. They escaped yet again.

A flashing blue light had me turning my eyes up to the roller coaster. My eyes widened in shock and concern when my they landed on Nya chained to a car, that heading for a broken track, and Jay who had unlocked his true potential, thus stopping the car from going over the edge.

Cheers from the people snapped me out of my trance and I rushed forward to help the couple down from the ride. Once they reached the ground, the rest of the team caught up, cold and wet. Midna was the last to approach, some cotton candy in hand.

I walked beside Nya as we all made our way to the front gates. Jay was explaining the whole Nya being the Samurai to Zane and Cole so I decided to chat with her.

“If this is how all dates go, then I am relieved to not be in a relationship,” I whispered to her.

She covered her mouth as she giggled, prompting a hidden smirk from me.

“I don’t think that’s how dates normally go.”

We paused our walk once we were outside the walls of the park.

“You really had me fooled. I never guessed you were the Samurai,” Zane admitted.

“I wish I had a sister like you,” Cole said.

Kai moved in next, “Technically, I was the first to discover her secret aside from Sheik and Midna, and didn’t we agree whoever we thought was the best would naturally be the Green Ninja? Huh?” He jumped forward pridefully, “The Green Ninja? The destined ninja to defeat Lord Garmadon? Huh?”

“Why would we say that?” Jay asked, genuinely confused.

_Did you seriously already forget that event? Though I suppose it makes sense considering you all agreed that the bet should be off…_

“Yeah, I’m drawing a blank,” Cole said.

“Nope. That conversation is not in my database.”

I sighed, “You did, but you all agreed that the bet should be off.”

Kai huffed and shook his head.

“You know what I learned today?” Jay asked out of the blue(I am so not sorry for that one).

“What’s that?” Nya asked, deciding to indulge him.

“No matter what kind of secret you have, whether you’re a snake or a Samurai, it’s important to be yourself.”

“A very inspiring lesson, Jay,” I said truthfully.

"Boring!" Midna said

“Yeah, that’s cute,” Cole said, not at all amused, “But you wanna know what I learned? The Serpentine now have the first Fangblade.”

“But we are getting stronger,” Zane stated, “One day we will all reach our true potential and Pythor will be stopped.”

“And we figured out all this out without, Sensei,” Jay said, resting his hands on his hips, “Pretty good for five ninjas.” One hit from Nya later, “ _And_ a Samurai.”

“I wonder what Sensei’s doing now,” Kai said.

“We will find out when he returns,” I said evenly, not allowing the pain of being separated show in my tone.

“Come on. We should head back.”

_Father… Are you well, I wonder…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite a bit shorter than the norm and Truth(The Royal Blacksmiths) will probably be even shorter.
> 
> Now, keep in mind that during Sheik's nightmare, she's in a state of hysteria and is somewhat incoherent. And we get a bit more the awkward and extremely sheltered side of Sheik!


	12. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos. Utter chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting to mention... Until I finish writing Season 1, there will be two weeks in between every chapter. So every other Monday. This chapter just came out two weeks late because of unforeseen complications in my personal life.
> 
> Oh and uh... I feel I should do this before getting into the chapter...
> 
> WARNING: VIOLENCE AND BLOOD AND NEAR-DEATH!!! It may start out as usual and continue like that for a bit but... it escalates pretty quickly and stays that way for a lot longer than I would normally do. I will put a summary of what happened at the end if you do wish to skip this chapter.

“Storytime!”

Midna groaned as she flopped back onto her bed, “No, Jay! Please! No more!” she yelled dramatically.

“Oh, come on, it’s going to get interesting this time!”

Kai shook his head, chuckles shaking his shoulder, “We’ll have to make it really interesting if she’s not going to die of boredom.”

“Hey, Sheik was the one who started this with Lloyd, I’m just continuing it.”

“Don’t drag me into this.”

Cole jumped in between us, “Guys, we gotta decide something soon because Midna has to go to sleep.”

“I’M NOT A BABY!!!”

“I never said you were. Jay, you going to start us off or what?”

Jay cleared his throat made a few exaggerated hand gestures, “Ray and Blake had just made it into the border city of Scatanalya-”

“Where’d you come up with that name?”

“Shhh! Anyway, so they were looking for a way to get a shot at the evil king who went there for entertainment often. The places he went to the most were the Gladiator Pits and the Opera House.”

Kai scoffed and mumbled sarcastically, “Why don’t you also throw in a madhouse to traumatize the kid even more?”

“They would have to get the jump on him in one of those places. As they were plotting, a large, burly man approached them. He had overheard their conversation. Ray and Blake were prepared to fight him off if they absolutely had to, but as luck would have it, he wanted to help them. The man was a popular gladiator and could get them in during one of his fights.”

“You’re going with the Gladiator Pits? Seriously? We’re trying to get her to go to sleep, not stay awake because of nightmares.”

Midna shushed Kai saying, “No! I want to hear this! Gladiators are _cool_!”

“Seriously…?”

Jay shot Kai a victorious smirk, “I know how to please the kid. Now, once they got in, they waited for the battle to start before rushing to attack the king. However, it seemed that someone other than the gladiator that helped them had overheard them and had told the king in advance that someone would try and assassinate him. The guards there were more than prepared and recognized them as the rebels. Things were looking bleak. Just as the guards were about to take them hostage, a lithe young man came bursting through the guards, with what appeared to be well-armed warriors following closely behind. Ray and Blake were sure that they were unnecessary reinforcements for the elite guards, but the warriors proved them wrong when they attacked their enemies.”

Midna’s eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation, “What happens next?”

Kai puffed up his chest, “I’ll take over from here! So this older guys comes out of the warriors and over to the two saying, ‘You youngins the rebels we heard about?’ Ray and Blake confirm, seeing the warriors as allies. ‘You better come with us. The big guy’ll wanna meet ya.’ So the warriors get them out of the arena mostly unscathed and head into the underground tunnels beneath the city. Along the way, they were introduced to the team that had rescued them, including the burly gladiator that had gotten them into the arena, to begin with. Turns out, they were part of a bigger rebellion lead by Utt. The gladiator was Utt’s brother, Evak. Benjamin was Utt’s son and one of the rebels most valuable assets. The old warrior that had come to them was Farris, third in command.”

“Okay, okay! You’re getting into the details that can come with asking questions! Just tell the story!” Jay demanded.

“Yeesh… Okay, so they discuss a plan and decide that they need to go after a powerful weapon in order to fight back against the king’s army. Unfortunately, the keys to the weapon’s resting place were scattered across the land, protected by the strongest warriors or ancient places that were long forgotten by the general public. Splitting up seemed the best option. Utt and Evak would go to speak with the Tarletians who protected one of the keys while Farris and Benjamin would collect the one in the ancient labyrinth. Ray and Blake were sent after the one residing in the Water Temple on Preharan land… Unfortunately, that’s where we’re going to have to stop tonight. We’ll continue another time.”

Midna complained loudly in protest but silenced at one glare from me.

“See? You actually enjoyed it this time!” Jay pointed out.

“Only because you made it interesting instead of having everything super fairytale-like.”

I ushered the team out of the room, “Come on. It’s getting close to _our_ bedtime.”

“ _Everyone report to the Bridge immediately. I have something_.”

I sighed as I pushed myself up from my meditative position and made my way to the Bridge, meeting up with the guys on the way. Nya barely spared us a glance as we entered the room before launching into everything.

“Just a few minutes ago, I got an alert from the Bridge.”

“What is it?” Kai asked.

“A high-frequency signal with a message embedded into it,” She turned gaze to me, “For Sheik.”

Jay hopped forward, “Is it from Sensei?!”

Nya hit a key and examined the unopened message. She moved aside so that I could see better. Opening the message, I checked its sender. My breath stalled.

“It’s from Prince Link. But why would he send _me_ and embedded message?”

“What does it say?”

“ _I have obtained information regarding the Yiga Clan that would be of high interest for you. Meet me in the Forest of Tranquility_.”

“Wait,” Midna blurted, “I, um… I know this is probably going to get me fussed at for not mentioning this earlier… but… Last I heard, the Gerudo were working with the Yiga. It would be dangerous and foolhardy to meet with their Prince.”

Silence permeated the room at her words. And then it was like the whole Underworld broke loose again.

“You mean to say you had valuable information and never said anything?!”

“Why did you keep this from us?”

“Great! Now, we have to worry about the Gerudo too?!”

“What should we do?”

“How do you even know this?”

The last question had the small Twili freezing in her place and staring at the ground. Her arms moved to wrap around her torso, most likely to offer at least a bit of security.

“I… didn’t exactly fall under your protection with honest reasons… I’m supposed to be… a plant… As in... a spy. But I left that behind after staying with you guys for a few days! I’m not doing it! Not even for Zant!”

We gaped at the child in shock. _Midna?! A spy?!_

“You weren’t trapped by the Serpentine. You were just making it seem like that to get us to rescue you!” Kai said, facepalming, most likely at his own obliviousness.

Midna squeezed her eyes shut and shifted closer to Jay, “I’m sorry! But I promise it wasn’t for hostile intentions! The Twili are being oppressed by the Yiga. Zant asked me to observe you guys. Figure out your intentions... That sort of thing…”

Jay placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Midna, seeing the gesture for what it was, forgiveness and acceptance, buried her face into his chest. A rare show of physical affection.

“You said you’re with us now? No more spying? Then all is forgiven,” I told her gently, “Please, tell us what you know of Link or what his intentions may be.”

Midna turned her face away from Jay, “Well, I haven’t had many encounters with him… But he’s loyal to the Gerudo and his father. He seems nice enough if a little snarky. He likes to be very involved with everything, a title Zant had given him behind his back was ‘Errand Boy’. So, he could be sincere about this or it could be that he’s been misled this is a trap.”

I nodded, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going. This could be vital information to us.”

“I’m going too.”

“Here, here!”

“I think we’re all in agreement then.”

We stood patiently, well… most of us were standing patiently, waiting for Prince Link’s arrival. Kai was pacing before us, occasionally swinging his sword, Zane was meditating beside me, while Jay and Cole held a small conversation several feet away. Midna had remained behind, in the event that Zant and/or Ghirahim went with the Gerudo Prince. The prince’s retainers happened to be her mentors before she came to be under the ninjas’ protection.

There was a small chime. It sounded like two small pieces of metal clinking against each other. Then voices. Two males.

“You know, you didn’t have to come with me.”

“I’m your guardian. It’s my job to follow you everywhere whether we like it or not.”

“Yeah, but this is just delivering information. What could possibly go wrong?”

“Don’t get me started…”

The guys and I exchanged glances. I could tell the same thought passed through our minds. _These two obviously didn’t know how to be stealthy._

Link and his established guardian emerged from a layer of trees and into our small clearing. Link beamed when he saw us, giving a polite wave.

“You guys are here sooner than I thought you’d be,” he remarked.

Kai folded his arms and openly glared at the new arrivals, “We’re ninjas. _Of course_ , we’d be here early.”

Link lifted his hands up placatingly when he read the hostility in the Fire Ninja’s tone. His guardian was quick to summon diamond daggers at the perceived threat. Jumping between our two groups to prevent an unnecessary fight, I turned to the prince.

“You have intel that you think would be of use to us?” I inquired.

Link perked up immediately, “Yes. We recently discovered that the Yiga Clan aligned themselves with the Serpentine who are trying to awaken the Great Devourer. Now, I know you’re already aware of that and it’s old news by now. But my father does not agree with the Serpentine’s ways and wants to subtly assist you in stopping them. He gave me a bit of intel to pass onto you after a meeting he had with the Yiga recently. They’re going to be planning a way to further increase their numbers in the Caves of Despair. The Yiga didn’t tell us exactly what they were doing though, so you won’t know what to expect.”

Cole folded his arms in thought, “The Cave of Despair? Again?”

“I would have thought I’d have heard about activity in the Caves of Despair,” Link’s guardian scoffed.

“Is that so, Mr. No Brows?” Kai snarled.

Glowering, the Sheikah guardian got in Kai’s face quietly saying, “My name is Ghirahim. And your chances against someone as powerful as myself are slim, so don’t fool yourself into thinking you can put up a fight.”

“You want to find out?”

Jay shoved between them, “Guys, guys! Come on! We’re supposed to be working _together_!”

A hiss, so quiet that I almost thought I imagined it, passed through Ghirahim’s clenched teeth. But it was definitely there. Ghirahim returned to his charge’s side, throwing his red cape back.

“We’ve said our piece, Your Highness. I think it’s best if we go. Now.”

Link opened his mouth as if to protest but one glance at Kai and he closed it, nodding his agreement.

“Sav'orq.”

Ghirahim snapped his fingers and the pair disappeared in a flurry of diamonds. Jay expressed his excitement over the display of magical prowess while I sent Kai a dark glare. Cole and Zane gave him similar looks. What he did was uncalled for and his behavior may have just cost us valuable allies…

Gathered around in the Bridge, we explained to Nya what we learned. Kai earned a smack upside his head when his sister heard of his hostility.

“Anyway, I _did_ notice some kind of energy disturbance in that sector. I had it marked as suspicious activity but didn’t think it was anything more than an electrical surge which was reported to have taken place.”

Jay shrugged, “I suppose that means they’ve been operating right under our noses this whole time.”

“They are ninjas, Jay. They are good at staying under the radar,” I stated.

“What could the Yiga and Serpentine be doing in the Caves of Despair this time?” Cole questioned.

Kai placed a hand on his hip as he stared at the monitor, “It’s possible their digging something up.”

“To increase their numbers?”

“Okay, maybe their digging something up that would gain the attention and loyalty of other people? I don't know!”

“So are we going to stand around here debating on what they’re doing or are we rollin’?”

Oh, the Caves of Despair. I had wondered why they were called that. The three times I had ever been in the caves, nothing aside from my objective had stood out. Turns out, the further you went in, the more treacherous it got. 

No matter how much we tried to convince them otherwise, Nya and Midna refused to remain on the Bounty. Due to the caves having those smaller tunnels, Nya opted to leave her exo-suit behind in favor of getting into places she couldn’t with it on. Midna, on the other hand, claimed to have vast magic abilities that were passed down through her bloodline. No one was truly inclined to argue with her, though I believe it was more because we were pressed for time.

Our first real snag was a fork in the path. Which was _just brilliant_ …

“Soooo, which way do we go?” Jay asked.

Kai hesitated, moving the Sword of Fire back and forth between the two tunnels, “...Right…?”

There was a sudden flash of light and Ludo stood before us, “How about neither? Light it up!”

The next few seconds were a blur to me. A loud noise caused my ears to ring as boulders fell around us. Once things had settled, I realized that I had moved to shield Nya from the explosion. Aside from the initial shock, she seemed fine. That put me at ease until I remembered the rest of the team. The darkness that had settled around us hardly deterred me until I ran smack into a wall of fall rock from the cave in.

“Sheik! Nya! Can you hear me?!”

“I can hear you, Kai! Are you all okay?”

“Yeah! How about you two?”

“We’re alive.”

“Stand back. Cole’s going to try and bust through the wall.”

“No! You’ll only cause more damage! Just go through whatever way you can. We’ll meet up.”

“Be careful!”

I sighed into the darkness before turning back to where I assumed Nya was still sitting. She was being unusually quiet.

“Are you hurt at all?”

“I just twisted my ankle. Nothing too serious.”

“Can you walk?”

“I told you, it’s not serious. I’ll be fine.”

I sighed deeply even as I moved to lift her to her feet and support her weight.

“We must continue forward. The Yiga could find us at any moment and there is no fresh air down here.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled an agreement as she shifted an arm.

A sudden dim light from her bracelet had me averting my eyes, needing to adjust after seeing so much darkness. The light was a blessing as we could now see where we were going. Being stuck with the left path meant the others were on the right. I did not study the cave tunnels beforehand and did not know if this one connected to any of the previous ones. But it was the only choice we had.

We slowly made our way through the tunnels, Nya’s minor injury severely hindering our speed. I, myself, had aches forming across my back and shoulders. The need to take action to shield Nya from the cave in had cost me. I hadn’t thought of injuries that would be done to myself. Though, I suppose, they were insignificant compared to what could have happened. I was lucky the whole ceiling didn’t come down on us.

“I think we’re coming up on a cavern that leads outside! I see light!”

Squinting my eyes, I tried to see ahead. Yes, there was light but it could be coming from…

“Or it’s one of the Yiga’s main hubs…”

No sooner had the words left my mouth were we spotted by a guard. Letting Nya go, I snatched my kunai from their sheaths.

“Scrap stealth!”

**Ira/Nightingale(Third Person)**

_Mission: Compromised. Target: Acquired. Enemy: Chosen Sheikah. Objective: Subdue._

Ira shot forward ahead of his underlings, his mind focused only on his target. The Sheikah warrior seemed to have the same idea, zeroing in on him. Ira’s hidden knives made their way into his hands just before he clashed with the other.

The sheer determination in the Sheikah’s eyes caught him by surprise. Before, he’d seen fear, pure desperation, and anger. He was protecting the female behind him, he realized. If they were here, the rest of them wouldn’t be far. Seeing this as an opportunity, Ira decided to switch tactics.

Painstakingly slow, compared his usual quick work, he acted as if the Sheikah were overpowering him, little by little. Jumping back a couple of paces, Ira signaled a couple of Yiga to search the Caves for the other ninjas and capture the girl. Only he, the Sheikah, the girl, and fifteen other Yiga remained. Now, if he could just keep the Sheikah occupied for a little longer, the day would be his.

Except… The Sheikah turned at the sound of the girl fighting back. Despite her obvious injury, she was putting up quite the resistance. Such a nuisance…

**Sheik**

_Nya can’t fight all the Yiga on her own, especially with a twisted ankle._

Temporarily ignoring my self-established rival, I fought my way back over to Nya’s side. I think it was safe to say that when these Yiga footsoldiers returned to whatever base they had, they’d be tending to wounds worse than a tiny nick. I cringed behind my mask every time my blades cut through their skin.

**_This is war. This is war. You must fight on._ **

_I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I promise not to kill. No killing._

Nya had turned her eyes down when I started to _cut_ through my enemies rather than knock them aside. I sheathed my weapons, promising myself that I would clean and clear everything once we returned to the safety of the Destiny’s Bounty. I would shred and burn my clothes. I would shower until my body was free of the life that partially stained me. The only thing I couldn’t free myself of was the memory of the red, the sticky feeling, the horrid realization that I had hurt someone that way.

Pulling Nya up, I moved her to a more secure location. One where I could easily defend her and push forward without much issue.

The Nightingale had been holding back. I knew he was. He could keep up with the best ninja masters and be able to go further still. His skill was far beyond my own. I had no idea how he had been able to get to such a level. He must have been trained from such a young age and worked harder than any normal student.

The remaining unscathed Yiga moved to corner us. Tensing, I reached for my second pair of kunai only to remember I had lost them to the red ninjas during another mission. I was stuck with my bloodstained ones.

_The upside down eye and tear appeared in front of my face. A small shrill left me at the sudden threat to my life._

_“I win our little game. Kohga will be most pleased to have your head delivered to him on a silver platter.”_

_“Not if I have anything to say about it.”_   
_Master Wu knocked the red terror away, moving in between us to shield me. In my fear, I hadn’t realized I had curled into a fetal position, my eyes locked on the full mask of the footsoldier. Wu made quick work of the Yiga, leaving him to retreat with at least a few broken bones. Once the threat was over, he crouched before me and pulled me close. Clutching onto his kimono, I tried to steady my erratic breathing._

_“You’re safe with me. I will protect you.”_

The sudden flashback had me blindly stumbling back, feeling the same kind of vulnerability from all those years ago. My brain stalled, unable to fully process the memory.

Quiet mutters passed my lips, so quiet that I could hardly understand them myself, “No… No-no-no-no-no…”

Our attackers must have seen it as a surrender as the Nightingale motioned for them to capture us. Nya’s voice suddenly broke through my haze, begging me to snap out of it.

“Come on, Sheik! We can still fight back! Don’t give up! I’m right here supporting you!”

_I can… still fight…_

**_Yes, you can. Your overwhelming fear is holding you back. Remember those times that the Yiga has threatened you and learn from them. Don’t let them hold you back._ **

_I… am afraid. But Nya is in danger and injured. And I can’t fail to protect her! I can’t!_

Clenching my teeth, I stood tall before them, the continued fear still thrumming within. Only, I wasn’t letting it control me. Not anymore.

A surge of sheer power ran through my veins, an indigo light illuminating from my body. It was an uplifting feeling. A conquering feeling. _My true potential._

“I… will not quit. My fear of you has frozen me for far too long. No. More. I _will_ protect Ninjago from your filth! I have accepted my fears as a part of me. No longer are they my weakness!”

An indigo cloud rippled out from my body, moving quickly in the Yiga’s direction and overtaking them. Weakened, the red terrors collapsed on the ground, wheezing from the effects. Seeing that they weren’t as much of a threat as before, I let go. I let the power drain.

“Sheik, LOOK OUT!”

Out of the miasma, the shadow of the Nightingale shot forth, not stopping once as he ran at me. The sharp feeling of a weapon piercing my flesh had me choking on the air in my lungs. Eyes wild, my hands slowly reached up to the hilt of the weapon embedded in my body. They briefly brushed against the Nightingale’s who seemed to use the last of his strength to teleport himself and his fellows out of the Caves.

I fell to my knees before fully collapsing on my side.Pained gasps left my mouth in a flurry of hysteria. The dirt and rocks were only small comforts in the agony that screamed and burned across my abdomen. Nya’s presence nearly pushed my overwhelmed mind past its limit.

“N-N-Nya…” I gasped, “I-I-I’m s-sorry… W-When Father returns… tell him… tell him I love him…”

I couldn’t see her clearly through the tears of pain and fear but I could hear choked sobs.

“No…! You’re going to tell him yourself. Because you’re not going to die here!”

Another fresh wave of pain had me squeezing my eyes shut and hissing through my clenched teeth.

“C-Can’t… Sorry… So sorry...” I could feel sleep beckoning me, deep and heavy, almost unbearable.

_Maybe it won’t be so bad… Dying..._

“...G-Goodbye…”

The black spots dancing across my vision distracted me from anything else. I vaguely felt myself being shifted as I was surrounded by strangely familiar presences.

_Who are they…? Where am I…? Why do I hurt…? **Who am I…?**_

**Third Person**

Hours. It’d been hours since Sheik went into surgery. Kai had taken Nya back to the Destiny’s Bounty to get cleaned up. Cole had gone as well, having carried his brother the whole way to the hospital. Sheik had been in critical condition by the time they got her to the emergency room.

The remaining three were sitting anxiously in the waiting room. Kai, Nya, and Cole rushed in and paused in front of them.

“Any word on his condition?” Kai asked.

At the shake of Zane’s head, the three arrivals deflated as they sank into the empty seats.

“Do… Do you think he’s going to make it?” Midna asked, fidgeting with her hair.

“He’s strong. He won’t leave us without a fight…” Zane declared softly.

“Hey, how about an uplifting story?” Jay asked, suddenly standing to face everyone.

“How could you even think of telling a story when Sheik could be dying?!” Kai demanded.

Jay flinched a little but steeled himself, “That’s precisely why I think we could use one. We can’t give up on him. He needs our support!”

Kai hunched over, not having the energy to continue the argument. Jay saw that for what it was, compliance, and gave a reassuring smile to his teammates.

“This will just be a continuation of the stories that we’ve been telling Midna and Lloyd. This time, Ray and Blake were met with resistance at the Temple of Water. They were trapped in a room filled with water a foot deep. The only dry area was a small elevation in the flooring. The five shadows surrounded them, leaving no chance for escape.”

There was a small commotion in the background. Staff were running in the direction of the room where Sheik’s surgery was being performed. However, it went mostly unnoticed by the small group, too enthralled by tale being spun before them.

“The shadows were vicious, bearing down on them with all they had. They had been holding out well until Ray was blindsided by one of the vessels. He collapsed, unconscious in the water. Blake was cornered, nowhere to run. The shadows restrained him and confiscated what they had been after, a key that held pure power that would only open the door to an ultimate weapon. Once they had it, they left the pair, returning to the darkness that they traveled through, like a current in the ocean. Blake, remembering Ray’s fate, returned to his friend’s side and lifted his head above water.”

Two nurses ran over to the surgery room with a defibrillator in hand. Jay quickly dismissed the sight and continued to keep everyone, himself included, distracted.

“He dragged Ray to the elevation and checked his breathing. There was nothing. Blake didn’t waste time. He performed CPR. He was not going to let his friend die. Minutes passed and there was still no sign of life from Ray. Blake was just about to give up when Ray coughed, water sputtering out of his mouth and nose. Once he had cleared his airways enough to speak, he had one thing to say to his friend, ‘...Add that to the list of times we’ve nearly died.’”

Cole breathed a tired laugh, “Leave it to Jay to have him spew a joke out the first chance he gets.”

Sheik was stable. The doctors had been concerned that he wouldn’t last through the night. But he did. Visitors were finally permitted for a very brief time. Cole let the others see him before him. Nya had been the one to get in first, though it seemed she had a very long talk with the doctors before she did.

When Cole’s turn came around, he was given a moment’s pause at the sight of his friend so weak and vulnerable. Sheik’s hands twitched as he seemed to regain consciousness only for him to go still again. Hardly audible whispers of distress left his mouth not a second later.

Cole was quick to gently offer some kind of physical and verbal comfort. The effect was almost instant. The Sheikah’s tense body relaxed as he seemed to draw the strength and comfort he needed.

Mere minutes later, Cole felt Sheik lean into his touch, seeming to relax further, only for him to abruptly tense. His red eyes flew open, terror flashing in them as he pulled away. Cole had frozen in surprise at the suddenness of the movement. The Sheikah fell back under just as quickly as he came out of it.

Cole wrote it off as just opening his eyes and moving while still asleep, appearing conscious when he wasn’t. He wondered what Sheik had seen that had gotten him so frightened. Of course, seeing as when they all met up Sheik had been covered in blood, and judging by his dirtied weapons, it wasn’t just his, he didn’t have to wonder too much.

Nya was in a state of shock. Everything happened so quickly she was left unable to fully process it. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw blood. Both Sheik’s and the Yiga’s. She saw life draining from her friend. She heard the prolonged beep of a flatline. And that wasn’t all. No. It was never enough. Then she’s told by the doctors that Sheik was _female_. Indirectly, anyway. They assumed she already knew and she played along. Afterward, she’d begged the doctors to keep that from her records. It was for Sheik’s own protection after all.

But the revelation explained so many small moments and habits. It had her questioning how she had not seen it beforehand. It also deeply hurt that Sheik never told her of all people. Nya thought that Sheik was her best friend and vice versa. Best friends told each other things that they wouldn’t tell anyone else.

 _But maybe there was a good reason,_ she’d argued, _After all, protecting her is all Sensei had wanted. Still wants. And if she’s hiding from the Yiga-attempting to but not, anyway-then being the furthest from herself is the wisest choice. Of course, if you’re still Sheikah and it’s obvious, then that would still be a target on her back. But Sheik had mentioned-or at least tried to convince us-that the Yiga hadn’t attacked at the sight of a Sheikah in many years. Which would explain why she didn’t bother to hide her species._

Nya had hardly left Kai’s side since the incident and her brother shared her sentiment. They were both under a lot of stress and anxiety which prompted them to remain with Sheik while everyone else returned to the Bounty to get some rest. At first, the others had protested but one look at Midna who was practically asleep on her feet had them changing their minds. She may not fully act like it, but she was still a kid.

That left the siblings to sit with Sheik as she rested. Nya was too afraid to sleep, afraid of what she’d see and Kai felt horrible about not being able to do much to help.

Nya thought of what she’d been told earlier. About what happened on everyone else’s side of the Caves. They had encountered _Twili_. _Twili_! Her friends would have been killed if it hadn’t been for Midna stepping in and revealing her identity as their _princess_ and _ordering_ them to let them go. It shocked her when she’d heard it and she almost thought they’d been pulling her leg. But it was _true_.

 _What’s next?_ She thought ruefully, _Sheik being related to the First Spinjitzu Master?_

Sheik felt as though Cole had used her as a punching bag and had then turned her over to Kai to stab her with the Sword of Fire. Of course, she knew they’d never do that but felt was as close as she could get to an accurate description.

If only she could remember… She didn’t think anything wrong had happened during training...

Flashes of the Nightingale impaling her and disappearing with other wounded Yiga invaded her mind, prompting her to grit her teeth at the memory. She fisted her hands as she tried desperately to push the horrid sights out of her sight.

“...Is he awake…? Sheik, you with us, dude?”

Sheik’s eyes opened, still bleary with sleep. The room was dim but she could still see. It wasn’t anywhere she’d ever been. Where was she? She’d heard Kai’s voice so she knew she was at least safe. Turning her head, her eyes met Kai and Nya’s. Zane was behind them but came closer when he heard her name. Their faces lit up when they saw her red eyes staring back at them.

Kai placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, “You really gave us all quite the scare. The doctors said you’ll make a full recovery in time and advise against strenuous activity once you’re released.”

“H-How… long… was I?”

“Only a couple of days. You haven’t really missed much. We’ll fill you in when you’re home and rested.”

Nya came forth next, “Sheik, I want to thank you. You really saved me back there.”

Zane would have spoken to the Sheikah as well but she had succumbed to her exhaustion before being given the chance. Nya would have to break it to Sheik that she knew about her secret after she was able to stay awake for longer than a minute.

**_Third Person-Southern Fortress, Gerudo Desert_ **

When Link heard that the Yiga from the Caves of Despair had returned wounded and ill, he went straight for the med-bay. He knew Wu’s ninjas were behind this. What he didn’t anticipate was for them to actually injure them badly enough that the Nightingale had teleported them right to med-bay.

He heard from Ghirahim that it had startled Zant and the other medics while he had been present. While Ghirahim had been amused at first, it had quickly turned to shock at just how bad of a condition the red ninjas were in. According to Zant, the worst of it was the illness. All of them displayed the same symptoms. Fevers, congestion, rashes, sore limbs(though that may have been from the fight), nausea, headaches, severe exhaustion, etc. Even the Nightingale himself was infected. They would have perished had Zant and the medics not used healing magic to extreme levels.

Poor Zant and the other medics were practically asleep on their feet from constantly caring for their patients. Zant’s healing magic was waning from his exhaustion and Link was just about to go in there and _force_ him to take a break to let someone else take the next shift. Whatever the ninjas had done, it’d definitely driven the Yiga Clan away from the Caves of Despair. At least for now.

Link had decided that he would interrogate one of the Yiga on what happened as soon as he got Zant to retire for the night.

Poking his head into the med-bay, he was met with the sight of the Gerudo and Twili medics moving around and caring for the ill. Link nearly gaped at the sight of the patients. They looked… terrible. What happened? He didn’t think it was possible for anything like this to just… He carefully approached Zant, keeping half an eye on the Yiga. He sucked in a nervous breath, mentally preparing himself.

“Zant-”  
“Not now, Your Highness, I need to focus.”

“You can’t focus when you’re dead on your feet. You need to rest, take a break.”

“Not with so many that still need healing.”

“Your shift is over, Zant. It has been for the past hour.”

“The more medics we have, the better.”

Link summoned his best commanding tone and position before saying, “Zant, I order you to retire to your quarters immediately.”

Zant deflated at the direct order. Reluctantly, he stood and brushed past his charge, grumbling as he went. Link sighed in relief, turning to address one of the medics that looked a little chipper than the others, asking her to take over for the departing CMO.

It was rare that he ever used his rank against anyone. Though, it was usually for their own good. Like Zant’s case. Link was preventing him from overworking himself. The Gerudo and their closest friends/allies respected him. He reached out to his people, helped them with even the most minuscule of tasks. It was what separated him from the ones that had banished his tribe and the Sheikah’s, he’d been told many times by his elders.

It gave him a sense of satisfaction to know that he’d been better than those low and petty leaders of Ninjago that had the _audacity_ to banish the tribes that had _saved their lives_ in the past just because of the tiniest of possibilities that they would turn on them. Just thinking about it left a bitter taste in his mouth. The Gerudo people suffered because of the wrongdoings of others. And justice _would_ be served.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Summary. And this is assuming you skipped the whole thing.
> 
> The ninjas tell Midna a cool bedtime story(TRIVIA: the story they tell is based on one of my original Zelda fanfics) which is continued later on in the chapter. The next morning, Nya calls everyone for a meeting where she tells them that she received a message from Prince Link to Sheik to meet him in the Forest of Tranquility for passing of intel. Midna warns them that the Gerudo were allied with the Yiga and that it could be a trap, and reveals that she was originally supposed to be a spy for the Twili and Gerudo but quit. She also tells them that the Twili were being oppressed by the Yiga which was why she was sent to spy on them, to begin with, to make sure they weren't another threat. They meet with Link and Ghirahim who tell them of Yiga activity in the Caves of Despair. They go there the next day and are separated after Ludo causes a cave in. Nya and Sheik on one side, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Midna on the other. On Sheik and Nya's end, Nya sprains her ankle and is unable to fight the Yiga they come across. Sheik battles with the Nightingale again and unlocks her true potential, infecting the present Yiga with her powers. The Nightingale makes one final lethal strike at Sheik before teleporting himself and the ill out. On the others' side, they encounter some hostile Twili where Midna reveals that she's the Princess of the Twili by commanding them to cease their attacks. Afterward, the ninjas meet up with Sheik and Nya. Sheik is taken to the hospital to recover and everyone else deals with the trauma. Back in the Gerudo Desert, Zant is worked to the bone trying to heal all the wounded and sick with healing magic and Link forces him to take a break. Link then reflects on the injustices inflicted on the Gerudo.


	13. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninjas enter the Ninjago Talent Show to get the next Fangblade. Sheik manages to convince Nya to allow her to enter as well as herself.

“You know, you’re needy when you’re hurt,” Nya commented offhandedly.

“Well, it’s not as if I can actually do anything. You won’t let me!” I replied, “I told you that I’m fine now!”

“The only way to be certain you’re fine, Sheik, is to endure the standard recovery system I’ve set up.”

“At least let me go to the debriefing.”

Nya sighed, “All right. Fine. You can go to the debriefing. But _that’s. It._ ”

I let out a puff of air that blew my bangs out of my face. I uttered a few irritated insults in Gerudo, Sheikah, and made sure she could understand at least a few of them.

“Though they got the first one, there are three more, and we just need one to stop Pythor. They have a map and we don’t, so the question remains, how are we gonna find them first?”

I huffed at Nya. We already knew this stuff.

“If you suggest the whole putting up fliers again, I think I might actually consider risking my life to go back to the Twili,” Midna said.

“I still can’t get over the fact that you're the princess of the Twili,” Jay said randomly, “Is anyone else blown away like I am?”

“We’re over that. Can we move on?” Kai asked harshly.

I shared the sentiment but did not think he should have said it the way he had.

“Someone's a little hot under the collar!”

“It appears his impatience is because he has not found inner peace and unlocked his full potential, like the three of us have, Jay,” Zane said.

Kai rolled his eyes, “Great observation, Mr. Roboto, but Cole hasn’t found it either.”

“I GOT IT!!!” Cole yelled abruptly.

Kai… freaked.

“You’ve unlocked it?! Oh! WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE?!”

Cole sighed, shaking his head, “No, I figured out where I recognized the Fangblade from,” he said running out of the room, “I have a picture of it.”

“Oh,” Kai chuckled nervously, “Is that it? Heh… Good…”

Midna laughed, “You should have seen your face, Kai!”

Kai glared at her but before he could reply, Cole came back in with a photo album.

“I got it!” he said as he set it on the table, opening it to the first page. We gathered around him to look at the picture until Jay came along and snatched the book up.

“That’s it!”

Cole smiled, “Back where I grew up, there’s this pretty big competition, where every year the winner gets the Blade Cup. My dad’s won it multiple times.”

“You never told us your dad was an accomplished athlete,” Zane said.

Midna beamed, practically bouncing on her feet, “What sport?”

Cole became nervous at that, suddenly finding the grooves in the table interesting, “Oh. H-He’s a, uh… A blacksmith.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Kai said, “My father was a blacksmith, too. But I’ve never heard of a competition-”

“That’s because he’s not a ‘blacksmith’ blacksmith… He’s a _Royal_ Blacksmith,” Cole replied, turning the page in the book to show a man that shared some features with Cole holding the Blade Cup.

The other boys snickered and I gave them glares.

“That’s your dad?” Jay asked.

“But how did the Fangblade become a trophy?” Kai asked.

“Well, supposedly, the Blade Cup was made by this guy who collected priceless artifacts. His name was something like, uh… Dutch… No, Clutch! Clutch Powers! Anyway, it gets passed on to each year’s winner.”

“Who has it now?” Zane inquired.

Cole saddened, “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to my father in years.”

Kai pulled out his phone, “Well, then we’ll call him up!”

“You can’t!” Cole exclaimed before heading over to the wheel, “He thinks I’m in Ninjago City training at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts. Ugh, he wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but when I couldn’t sing or dance, well, I-I ran away… When he sees I can’t dance, he’ll know I’ve been lying in the letters I’ve been sending him.”

“He doesn’t know you’re a ninja?” Zane asked.

Cole turned back to us, “What, you gonna crack some joke that my old man wears a tutu?”

“No, but if we’re gonna have any chance at getting that Fangblade before they do, we better get our own act in tune,” Kai said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, then, I’ll just… go pack my things…” I muttered quietly and began backing toward the exit.

Nya quickly caught on and grabbed my shoulder, “Nu-uh. You’re not going anywhere but your bed. You’re still recovering.”

I sighed in annoyance. I was going to go stir crazy if I stayed cooped up in here one week more…

“No. No. No. No. _No_. You are _not_ going to be performing next week. I forbid it.”

“Nya, it will give us a better chance at getting that Fangblade. I have to try.”

“In the event that the rest of the team can’t?”

I sighed deeply, “I get where you’re coming from. Really, I do. But I have to do this. Besides, I’m a ton better now and will be even more by the time the Talent Show starts.”

“All right… Say that I agree to this, what’s the plan?” she asked as she crossed her arms.

“The plan is to drop the whole boy act and go as me. With a bit of touch up, the team shouldn’t recognize me if they see me. Add in the fact that I’ll be dressed in girl’s clothes and I’m a completely different person. I can sing and I can dance.”

Nya’s arms dropped to her side, her brows furrowed, “Wait. What song do you plan on singing?”

“The one I always sing. They guys have only ever heard the chorus, therefore, all I have to do is sing one or two of the verses and they shouldn’t recognize it. It’ll pass over their heads. It may sound familiar but not enough for it to click.”

“This is quite thought out…”

“I’ve… had a lot of thinking time since you sentenced me to bed rest.”

Nya took a deep, resigning breath, “Okay, you’ve got me. What kind of dress do you want to wear?”  
“Really?” I asked, brightening, “You’re actually going to help?”

“You’re just going to do it anyway. Might as well make sure you do it right.”

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

I was backstage, getting ready for call onto the stage.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Nya and Midna were somewhere in the front row with Jay’s parents. Pythor was acting as one of the judges.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

The guys were nearby, practicing their dance routine. They hadn’t seen me yet. That was good.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

I was going to just fine. My injury was healed enough to dance a bit.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

**Third person(with the rest of the ninja)**

They had paused for a break while practicing their routine for the competition and were observing their rivals. Jay caught sight of a teenage girl who was sticking to the back corner of the room. She… seemed familiar.

“Hey, I wonder who she is.”

“Just her? There are other people backstage, too, you know,” Cole said.

Jay began walking over to her.

“Jay, where are going?” Kai asked, catching the blue ninja’s arm.

“To talk to her. She seems nervous.”

With that, Jay pulled his arm free and jogged over to the girl, his brothers following after him, protesting heavily.

“Hiya!”

The girl seemed to jump and his presence and looked ready to flee if push came to shove.

“You look nervous. Don’t be! I’m sure whatever it is that you’re performing will be great! I’m Jay, by the way. What’s your name?”

She stared, not moving or making a sound. Her body seemed to catch up with her brain as she opened her mouth but no words left it. Instead, she bit her lower lip, looking a little self-conscious.

“Can you speak?” Jay asked, suddenly realizing that if she was mute then he would have put her in a really uncomfortable situation.

She nodded slightly and turned her sheepish eyes up to meet his.

“Not much of a talker then, huh? That’s okay!”

“Jay!” Kai raised his voice to catch his attention, “We have to keep practicing, not bothering the other contestants.”

Jay glanced back at Kai before turning back to the girl, “I’ll see you?”

**Sheik**

I breathed a small sigh of relief when Jay left my vicinity. That… was nerve-wracking.

“Taking the stage next is… Solus Light!”

I jumped up. That was me. That was my call. I summoned all of my courage and channeled it into my expression and movements. I walked out onto the stage and got into my starting position. I took a slow deep breath as the spotlights shone down on me to calm my rapidly beating heart.

I started out slowly in my dance, a gentle yet wide sweep of my arms and sways of my hips.

“-In one long stride,

Two worlds collide,

A soul splintered and sealed away,

Yet he remains,

And his heart has gone astray,”

I sped things up just a little, moving up to pirouettes and developpes.

“Emotions long locked away,

Come roiling out,

The blue stone critical without a doubt,

Identity compromised,

With so many lies,

Why leave me alone?-”

I ended my routine in a curtsy. I received a relatively high score. The only thing that dampened it, was Pythor. That stink could go jump off a cliff.

I left the stage, feeling exhausted from the adrenaline finally leaving my system. I breathed out a huge sigh of relief. It was done. It was over.

My injury twinged, prompting a flinch. Midna met me backstage, thankfully wearing a different outfit compared to what she normally wore. A simple hoodie, which she kept up, and jeans.

I somewhat limped over to her and she guided me out to the audience where I could sit with her and Nya to watch for when the team went on.

“You did great,” Nya whispered to me once I sat down next to Midna.

I shot her a tired smile and proceeded to watch the show. Pythor’s group sung a really off-key parody of ‘My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean’ that had most of the audience cringing. I was immensely relieved when they left the stage and excited knowing that the team was next.

The host came onto the stage, “And last but not least, The Royal Blacksmith-Uh, hold on.” He cut himself off as he received a message and was given a piece of paper, “This just in. There’s been a switch. Taking the stage next is Spin Harmony!”

Sure sounded like something they’d come up with. Good job, boys.

About a minute went by and they still hadn’t emerged.

“Last call for… Spin Harmony!”

About another minute passed and the host went backstage for another.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” he said, coming back out, “Spiiiin Harmony!”

As he left the stage again, the boys came out and started dancing to ‘The Weekend Whip’. Wild cheers from the audience seemed to have caught the Serpentine’s attention as the snakes went up on stage to cause trouble. It was nothing the group couldn’t handle so I wasn’t too worried. They even managed to keep up the dance as they took them out. Cole finished it off with a good ol’ Triple Tiger Sashay that had the audience stalling in shock before erupting in cheers.

I was impressed, to say the least.

“Oh! He did it! The Triple Tiger Sashay! He. Danced. The. Impossible!”

That host may be excited but he could tone things down. Just a bit.

The two judges gave them tens and Pythor, unsurprisingly, gave them a zero. I cringed in disgust when a hand came up his throat and out of his mouth, a pencil in hand mind you, and put a one in front of the zero. A perfect score. And the host said as much.

“Spin Harmony wins The Blade Cup!!”

Cole lifted the trophy high in the air, the light reflecting brightly off of it. I stood from my seat, clapping for my friends. Nya and Midna were cheering wildly beside me, causing me to let out an amused chuckle. Once the team went backstage again, Nya, Midna, and I went to wait for them in the Destiny’s Bounty.

Honestly, it was Nya’s idea and I think she just wanted me to rest after everything. I know I’ve said this before but… She’s an evil genius.

**Third person-Southern Fortress, Gerudo Desert**

Link watched the Ninjago Talent Show on one of the cheaper TVs that a few of the Gerudo had managed to buy for him in awe. When he saw the group, Spin Harmony, though they were masked, he just _knew_ it was Sensei Wu's team. Only thing was… he noticed one of the ninjas were missing. The Sheikah.

But then… Link had missed part of the competition as he got up to deal with more nagging from Ghirahim and Zant. He’d gone and played it back once it was finished and saw… a dancing Sheikah. Singing an oh, so familiar song. He couldn’t place where he’d heard it before. But he knew he had. Somewhere.

The Nightingale had also been watching, silent as ever. Though, he seemed even more so, if that was even possible. But who was Link to judge? The Nightingale was still recovering, after all, and had not been cleared for the field. Ghirahim had even shown a bit interest.

The Nightingale apparently appreciated it when he replayed the Sheikah singer. He had given him a nod of gratitude. Or the closest that Link believed possible for a Yiga.

Because of his curiosity, Link went to King Ganondorf with the footage of the girl, inquiring about the song’s familiarity. When he’d seen the video, Ganondorf had leaned forward, face slack with shock.

“Son. I suggest you delete the footage. Never speak of this outside of the two of us. We don’t want the Yiga catching this footage inside Gerudo Territory.”

Fear and guilt manifested in the young prince at those words. The Yiga’s loyal TIC had seen it… Twice even. What had he just unleashed? Why was his father so determined to keep it secret?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter for you guys. Sorry. ANYWHO!! I hope you enjoyed it anyway. The lyrics for the song are from the secondary piece that I wrote that was separate from/an add-on to the original song. Until next time, Heroes!  
> I also apologize for the low-quality writing.


	14. Protect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garmadon temporarily moves in and a reveal happens. They find Lloyd and Kai unlocks his true potential.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think with all the practice and research, I'm finally getting better at some fight scenes. Which is a major relief cause I STIIIIINK at those.

Everyone was up during the early morning hours before the sun’s first rays could break the horizon. Well… Everyone but Midna. Cole, Jay, and Zane were training on the deck below while Nya and I watched from above.

It was hard to discern exactly what was going on in the dark but Nya insisted that it was important that they learned to operate in different situations, no matter the location and the lighting. While I agreed, I wanted to see better.

Since Cole had discovered his true potential, everyone’s been training harder, me as the exception because Nya wouldn’t let me near the training equipment unless I was going to repair it.

It took me a bit into their training to realize that I hadn’t seen Kai yet. I was prevented from further exploring that train of thought when Nya turned on the spotlight. The snake dummies would definitely need repairs…

Well, I know what Jay, Nya, Midna, and I doing today!

“Good training! Your powers are getting stronger,” she paused, “But where’s Kai?”

“It appears we better go find the hot head,” I sighed.

Midna came up from the lower deck, rubbing her eyes, “I found him. He’s in Sensei Wu’s room. Can’t a girl get even a little shut-eye?” With that she went back down, most likely to try and go back to sleep.

I front flipped down to join the rest of them. The boys shrugged and we headed down to Father’s room. I was pretty ticked that Kai went into my father’s room without permission.

“Bring heat!”

We exchanged glances as we discreetly entered the room. Kai was doing one-handed pushups in front of the mirror… But that wasn’t the only thing… He was wearing the Green Ninja GI…

As Kai jumped up, the boys laughed and clapped mockingly.

“Very nice,” Cole said humorously, “Perhaps if you tried the phrase ‘Fire dork!’ maybe it might work.”

Kai threw the hood back, revealing his panicked face, “How long have you all been watching?”

Not answering his question, Jay gushed about the GI, “The Green Ninja suit, that’s awesome!”

“Well, I was looking for some kind of clue from Sensei and then I found this.”

“But you know only he who is foretold to face Lord Garmadon is destined to be the Green Ninja and only he should wear the Green Ninja outfit,” Zane stated.

“Yes. And I highly disapprove of your snooping in my father’s room. It’s an invasion of privacy,” I said, letting my displeasure show through my tone.

“I know, I know…” Kai mumbled as he walked over to the window, “But I thought if I just tried it on, it might help me see my true potential. It’s not fair that you guys have unlocked your cool powers and I still haven’t.”

I sighed, “Kai, a piece of green cloth isn’t going to help you find your true potential. It doesn’t come from a physical object or a title. It comes from within. A conquering of a fear, a true realization of who you are, and an open mind and heart.”

“Easy for you to say. Besides, Sensei’s gone and we don’t know when he’s coming back-”

The sound of a door creaking open caught my attention. But the voice that followed had my heart stuttering in relief and joy.

“Hello? I’m home!”

I was the first to run full speed out of the room and made a break for the upper deck. When I saw him on the floor of the dining room, I ran straight into him, clinging on as if my life depended on it.

“Father!”

For once, for just this once, I dropped my deeper tone and my enigmatic mannerisms to welcome him home. I felt him shift to empty one of his hands to return the embrace. Thundering footsteps from below ruined the moment as I shoved my facade back on and merely stood very close to him. The girls and the boys, except Kai, came up to greet Father.

“Ah. It’s so good to be home,” he said.

“So glad you’re back!”

“Did you bring us anything?”

“What kinds of cool places did you go?!”

Jay walked over to the table and jumped on it, “Oh, Sensei, have you missed a lot. Zane’s a Nindroid, Nya’s the mysterious Samurai, Midna’s the Princess of Twilight, Cole’s a dancer-”

Father cut him off to express his confusion, “Zane is a... what?”

“You’ve been gone a while,” Zane replied, “We’ll catch you up later. But you should know, all of us except for Kai have discovered our true potential.”

“Have you now? Where is Kai?”

“Pfft-Who knows,” Midna said.

“Right here!” Kai announced, running up to us as he dusted off his red GI, “So glad you’re back safe.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin, and honestly, it was probably the same for everyone, when Garmadon-Uncle Garmadon came out from behind Father and I. WITH. FOUR. ARMS.

“Ah! Sensei, behind you!” Kai yelled, jumping to attack Garmadon.

My only thoughts were to protect Father. I stood in a defensive stance even as Zane threw himself in front of us.

“Agh! He’s got four arms!”

Kai did a jump attack but Garmadon caught his sword from his place on the ground.

“So, we meet again,” Garmadon growled.

“He must have followed you, Sensei.”

Father moved out of our protection and reached out to Kai.

“Kai, stop! He is the reason I left. For so long as Pythor has Lloyd, he will be our guest.

“Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait! The King of Darkness? Here?!”

“We have to live with this guy?”

“But, Sensei, he has four arms!”

“Uh, must I remind you ever since he turned evil he’s been trying to get our Golden Weapons?”

“ENOUGH!”

I flinched harshly at Father’s tone. Nya and I had been the only ones to not have spoken our complaints, most likely having anticipated this.

Everyone backed off, “Yes, Sensei.”

Garmadon stood, “This isn’t about the weapons, it’s about my son!”

“From here on out, you will obey me and you will respect my brother.”

We all bowed and spoke our agreements. Everyone but Kai… Man, I'm saying that a lot...

“Now, to the bridge. We must put our attention to more pressing matters.”

Father and Garmadon made their way up to the bridge while the rest of us got ready for the day.

By the time we were all gathered in the bridge, it was at the crack of dawn.

“So where are we at with the four Fangblades?” Father asked.

“Oh, Pythor’s managed to take the first two, but there’s still two left,” Jay answered.

“And we only need one in order to prevent him from unleashing the Great Devourer,” Cole added.

Father nodded, “Any luck finding their whereabouts?”

“No, but the falcon is programmed to alert us if he sees any suspicious activity,” Zane replied.

“Good. If we find the Fangblade, we find Lloyd. Kai and Nya, prepare the deck and double check the anchor. We need to be ready when we first get word of activity.”

“Yes, Sensei,” they answered in unison before walking out.

Kai glared at Garmadon the entire time at one point even saying that he had his eye on him. Walking backward, Kai ended up bumping into the doorway to which Father sighed and facepalmed at. I shared the sentiment…

Nya finally managed to drag Kai out onto the deck and Father turned his attention to Jay.

“Jay, did you say the falcon was… programmed?”

Jay chuckled, “Okay, Sensei. I don’t know where to start. It all started when we saw the falcon and we ran after it…”

I mostly tuned out Jay’s recap of what had happened after Father left, only joining in when they asked me to elaborate on certain parts that the others had missed. Like my time in the caves for example. Father looked especially concerned when Jay had brought up me seeing the Sheikah again and being injured in my fight with the Nightingale.

“And then, just as the Twili were going to attack, Midna comes in and tells them to stop!”

Midna cut Jay’s in-depth story-telling on her reveal off by covering his mouth, “Longer story short, they stopped and I saved the day with my reveal. So, any questions class?”

Jay snorted in amusement at her comment after he abandoned his annoyed facade at being interrupted.

“I believe that will be all for now. We will further discuss things later. Come, Brother, we need to get you settled in. Sheik, with me,” Father said.

I gave a stiff bow to show my compliance and trailed after them. Once we made it below deck, not without getting several suspicious glares from Kai, Garmadon began to quietly speak. And he surprisingly addressed me as well, just not as directly.

“I was not aware you had a child, much less one older than my own.”

I held back a snort, attempting to hide my accursed emotions behind my bangs. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hold back the miffed puff of air that left my mouth.

“That’s because he is not mine. You see, he is under my protection. Do you remember the Sheikah?” Father asked.

“Of course. How could I ever forget?”

“Then you would remember what happens to the outcasts.”

“You’re not saying…”

It goes without saying. _Duh_.

I didn’t speak a word. No question was directed at me, so I didn’t need to. Once we got Garmadon set up in the boys' room(Poor things), Father took me aside to speak of more secretive topics.

“Nya knows,” I whispered, feeling as though I should bring that up first and foremost, “I was hurt when she found out. Almost in critical condition. At least she’s good at keeping secrets, what with her being the Samurai and all.”

“I see. I believe that we should be able to safely reveal your gender to the rest of the team, now. You may do so when you feel the time is right.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’ll still be hiding in public but I think you should be able to freely relax in your own home. You trust them now, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then you may do so.”

It had been about four days since Garmadon had somewhat moved in. I stuck to observing him those days, rather than confrontation. He was quite intriguing when he was not so bent on getting his hands on the Golden Weapons. I had mostly avoided his general presence and resigned myself to my room where I would debate on the best time to reveal who I really was to my friends. My family.

I had told Nya of my father’s permission and deemed safety of the action. She told me not to worry about it so much and to take my time. Easier said than done…

Zane had been… more stalkerish than I remembered him being as of late. Though, ‘stalkerish’ may have been a major exaggeration. Observant and aware of my actions would have been a more appropriate description. It was starting to creep me out.

And he was doing it again…

All I was doing was standing, leaning against the wall, mind you, in the corner of the dining/rec room. Totally unthreatening, unobtrusive, and whatever other words you wanted to use. I knew my general presence and my aura could be a little intimidating but Zane had never… Well, he had never judged me for that. Not that I knew of, anyway…

Finally having enough, I sent a harsh glare in his direction. I had been trying hard to ignore his weirdness, to act oblivious, but my actions could only be held back for so long. If he wouldn’t come and tell me straight what his deal was, fine. I would go to him instead. I would be the one to confront in this situation.

“I know I may be out of the loop when it comes to what is adequate behavior… but I think I know enough to know that your staring is rude. So, instead of staring, why don’t you just come out and say whatever is.”

Zane blinked a few times as if trying to process my words.

“I do not wish to offend you.”

“Trust me when I say I’ve heard it all.”

“I do not think-”

“Say it.”

Zane paused at the bite in my words. I had not meant to be too harsh but if it got him to stop staring and speak up, then I would live with the guilt.

“...Are you female?”

_Finally! He said-Wait… Of all the things he could have-He… What…?_

I would have laughed… or maybe cried… or something… But my brain was stuck in a shock loop. The only kind of safety I could assure myself was my blank expression. On the outside, I showed no reaction of any kind. On the inside… was chaos.

_What the actual heck?_

“As I said before. I did not want to offend you in the likely event that I was incorrect in my observation.”

My words were caught in my throat. I wanted to ask how he figured it out. I wanted to ask how he felt about the lies. I wanted to ask if he would at least keep it a secret from the others until I was ready. But I didn’t. I was too busy debating whether or not I should confirm or deny.

The most logical choice was to confirm as I was going to be telling them eventually anyway. But the fear of rejection held my tongue. I wanted to deny. To continue to feel the security behind the mask that I created.

_Sheik is logical. Sheik is calm. Sheik does what she must. Therefore the right choice is obvious._

“How long have you known...?” I asked quietly.

Zane drew closer as he said, “Until recently, I was only suspicious.”

I breathed a laugh void of mirth as I sat down at the table, “What gave it away?”

He settled down beside me, “Little things, mostly. Mannerisms, your preference to be around Nya rather than us, and a few other bigger clues that I stumbled upon not long after we met.”

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand as hard as I could manage, “Ugh… The song… I was so stupid… So was the excuse I gave…”

“I do want to ask though… Why?”

“It’s as I said before. I’m in hiding. The further I am from my past self, the better. Father knew I didn’t trust you guys enough back then. But I do now. I can tell the others if I want to. I’m just… not ready yet. Please don’t say anything to anyone. And Nya already knows.”

“I won’t speak a word them.”

“You said mannerisms. What kind of mannerisms were you referring to?”

“I would rather not explain as you may feel uncomfortable with the subject.”

“You’re really creepy when you want to be. You’re right. Don’t tell me. I’ll just accept it and move on. But, now that you know, you’ll stop your surveillance, right?”

“Yes. I have reached my goal so there is no need to anymore.”

“That’s a relief…”

“Sheik, Nya.”

We looked up at Father’s beckon.  
“I would like to speak with the both of you. This way. Come, come.”

We shrugged and followed after him. He guided us into his meditation room where the Golden Weapons were laid out on his bed, the Green Ninja GI in the middle of them. I frowned suspiciously.

“I have come to understand the mysterious Samurai is no longer a mystery.”

“Oh, yeah. You heard about that,” Nya said, “I guess I picked up a thing or two.”

“It was foolish of me to think that a girl could not be the destined Green Ninja. When the four weapons are laid out before the Destined One, the weapons will react, revealing the identity of the Green Ninja,” Father explained.

I had not heard this one before. And was he serious?!

“But, Sensei…”

“Approach the weapons.”

“I…” Nya backed away, “No. I don’t want to know. I’m happy being a Samurai.”

Father turned to me and I shook my head.  
“I can’t do it. You know why. I-”

The sounds of an argument going on outside the door interrupted me. Nya, being the closest, could see what was going on.

“Guys, guys,” she said, opening the door, “What are you doing out here?”

I looked over her shoulder to see Kai and Garmadon. Not this again…

“Perhaps you should be asking Mr. Snoopy Pants that question,” Garmadon answered as the three of us exited the room and entered the hallway.

“Kai, were you… spying on us?” Nya asked, hurt evident in her tone.

“Uh, no way! I was, uh, keeping watch!”

I glared at him, letting my disapproval be known.

“So… Are either of you the Green Ninja?”  
“What?! Of course not!”

“So the weapons didn’t tell you. That means I still have a chance!”

“Truth is, they never wanted to know,” Father said.

Nya nodded slowly, “At first, all I wanted was to be like you, but after seeing how obsessed you’ve become and discovered what I could do on my own, I’m happy being a Samurai.”

“So then, who’s the Green Ninja?” Kai asked.

“Perhaps we will never know.”

Jay popped his head through the doorway at the end of the hall.  
“Kai, you were supposed to be in the bridge! Zane’s falcon spotted them!”

Running up to the bridge we gathered around the monitor. Cole was at the wheel. Zane glanced at us briefly before returning his attention to footage provided by the falcon.

“Looks like Pythor is at the Temple of Fire,” Nya said.

“That means the Fangblade is there,” Kai agreed.

“And Lloyd.”

Garmadon and I glanced at each other. I averted my gaze quickly, inwardly kicking myself for speaking at the same time he did.

“That’s the same Fire Temple where Kai and Lord Garmadon first faced off,” Jay recalled.

“If my memory serves me correct, I’d say _one of us_ cheated back when we last fought.”

“And I remember someone needing their sensei to save them and a bodyguard to watch their back.”

“Guys! For the sake Fangblade and Lloyd, can we please just get along?” Cole intervened.

“Since the last time we’ve been there, it looks like the volcano has grown unstable. The place is a powder keg just waiting to blow up. This will be a highly combustible environment,” Nya explained.

“Oh, great. Just what I like. Fighting armed and deadly snakes in a highly combustible environment ABOUT TO BLOW UP!!”

“We will do what we must,” Father said.

I nodded my head in agreement.

“Yes, Sensei. But where are our weapons?” Zane asked.

Kai shot a few glances around the room, “And why is Lord Garmadon not here?”

He ran out before any of us could stop him.

“Oh my… We better go collect ‘Destiny’s Child’ before he gets himself hurt… or worse…” I sighed.

We entered the hallway where our bedrooms were located.

“Kai? Are you in here?”

Father’s meditation room door closed as we made a break for it. Nya jiggled the doorknob. It wouldn’t budge.

“What are you doing?!”

Kai’s masked face appeared on the other side of the window, obviously locked in combat.

“Discovering my true potential!”

Just as he finished, he was thrown into the far wall, Garmadon entering our line of vision. Jay pushed the door with all his might to no avail.

“Unh! The door won’t… budge!”

Nya turned to the rest of us, desperation lacing her tone, “Kai thinks he’ll unlock his power if he stands up to Lord Garmadon!”

“Why would he think that?” Zane inquired.

“Because he thinks he the Green Ninja!”

I snarled quietly, “He’s going to be scrap when I get my hands on him.”

“If we don’t open this door soon, I think he’s going to be mincemeat!” Cole said, “Stand back!” He began to glow as he summoned his powers, “Earth!”

He kicked down the door, giving us entrance to the room. We halted in front of Kai who was pinning Garmadon on the ground.

“I defeated him…! I did it…!” Kai cheered, breathing heavily, “Are my eyes glowing? Did I unlock my powers? Is this my true potential? Arrgh! Why isn’t it working?!”

Father walked forward, “Because you can’t defeat someone who _allowed_ themselves to be defeated.” He propped his brother up with some help from me.

“I wasn’t going to hurt you boy,” Garmadon explained, “I was only fetching your weapons.”

“But you were trying to steal them!” Kai protested.

“I _asked_ him to get them,” Father interrupted sternly, “Perhaps it is best you do not reach your true potential, or else someone could get hurt.”

I frowned at the very subtly experience projected. Had something like that happened before? When? With who?

“Way to go, hero,” Cole muttered.

Nya moved to help on my side, “Oh. Poor thing. Let me help you.”

I sent Garmadon a tense glare as he pulled the most pathetic expression I had ever seen. He even played the lip tremble just right.

“Yes, poor thing,” he mumbled quietly.

“Nya, do _not_ baby him. He is much older than any of us and can take care of himself,” I said sharply as I lifted him to his feet.

“Oh, hush, you.”

The ship shuddered to a halt as we arrived at our destination.

“Sounds like we’ve finally reached our destination,” Cole stated.

“ _The volcano seems to be on the verge of eruption, guys. All recent indicators tell me that this place is becoming increasingly fragile. Even the smallest rupture can make the whole thing go off._ ”

I nodded to myself at Nya’s explanation as we made our way across the bridge to the Temple.

“Then we must not use our weapons,” Father decided.

Everyone put their weapons up.

“Kai,” came Nya’s warning tone.

Except for him.

“Yeah, yeah. No Fire Sword. But only because I wouldn’t want anything to prevent us from getting that Fangblade.”

“Or my son.”

Father gestured to the opening of the Temple, “There. The Serpentine must be inside the inner core. From here on out, we must travel by shadows.”

Garmadon ran ahead, everyone trailing behind him.  
“It’s the only way I know how.”

I agreed with him. As Sheikah, we’re the shadows of Ninjago, fighting and protecting behind the scenes.

The Serpentine swarmed the few rock formations that remained above the lava. Lloyd was among them, as well as two men. One was definitely Ghirahim. I would recognize his overly inflated ego anywhere. I recognized the masked one as a Twili from the many symbols covering his cloak. It would make sense that the Gerudo would send at least a couple of warriors in place of the Nightingale until he recovered. _If_ he recovered.

Jay pointed out the little boy in the cage, “There’s Lloyd.”

Garmadon pushed past everyone, gasping, “Son!”

“Whoa, who's the new guy?”

Cole observed him, “No clue. But they don’t look too friendly.”

We quietly started climbing down the face of the cliff as Pythor announced their finding of the third Fangblade. Crouching low, we made our way across the makeshift walkways behind Pythor. But as we got closer the Anacondrai suddenly spun around, pointing the Fangblade at us.

“ATTACK!!!”

We shifted into defensive positions as Father called out, “Light as a leaf! Attack like there is no tomorrow!”

The Serpentine went to attack everyone… everyone but me… They avoided me.

“Looks like a young Sheikah has strayed from the ranks,” a metallic toned voice said from behind.

“Indeed. I had hoped we would meet in battle. I promise this won’t be dull,” a smoother voice agreed.

I turned to face them evenly, “Two against one is hardly fair. But I will indulge you. Care to hear a little melody I wrote for wiping out evil spirits?”

My lyre found its way into my hands and I waved my back of my fingertips against the strings in a glissando.

“I call it... the Nocturne of Shadow...!”

A dark wave of energy emitted strongly from my instrument and slammed into the two before me. They lifted their arms to defend themselves. Fortunately for them, it worked for the most part. They must have had magic resistant armor on.

“You possess quite potent magic in your blood. Impressive. But I, too, come from a line with magic,” the Sheikah commented as he casually dusted off his gloves.

“Do try not to prattle on about your bloodline, Ghirahim,” the masked one snarled.

"My _sincerest apologies_ , Zant."

Ghirahim scoffed and snapped his fingers, a long, dark blade appearing in his hand. I cringed as I drew my kunai. Like bringing a sword to a gunfight. My kunai were not meant to be used in this manner.

Zant summoned two swords of his own and lifted them, ready to fight. Not only was I outnumbered, but I was fighting against a swordmaster and a mage with four kunai and a couple of spare knives.

Zant was the first to lunge at me. I managed a clean dodge. His fighting style was more erratic than it was coordinated. No pattern to really find. He just swung around recklessly. He most likely was more accustomed to using magic rather than weapons.

Ghirahim, however, was precise with his attacks and knew exactly what he was doing. At full strength, he would be a force to be reckoned with. If he didn’t toy with me, I would die. Or I would be saved at the last second and end up like several weeks ago. Fighting for my life in a hospital bed. I was in trouble.

I caught what would have been a fatal blow from Ghirahim’s sword in between my crossed blades. My teeth ground together as I used my full strength to shove his blade away.

“Let’s get out of here!”

I flinched at Pythor’s order, leaving me open to attack for a split second. Ghirahim used the opportunity to deliver a swift kick to my abdomen. I collided with the stone wall with a pained grunt as the air left my lungs. My head throbbed terribly as I stabilized myself. I shook myself from my daze as the cavern began to collapse. Walking slowly to join the rest of the team, I noticed the lava beginning to rise.

“They’re making the volcano unstable!”

_Thank you, Zane, for giving us that helpful tidbit of information._

“Any minute this place is gonna blow! We have to get out of here!”

_You too, Jay… Captain Obvious strikes again._

**_Tone down your sarcasm and focus on getting Lloyd and getting out._ **

“Not without my son!”

“Dad!”

Garmadon lept to the Serpentine holding Lloyd captive, taking them down as he went. Lloyd’s cage was tossed aside like a piece of scrap, most likely to rid them of the main target off their backs. As Garmadon safely secured Lloyd, Kai rushed past them.

“The Fangblade’s mine!”

I hissed through my clenched teeth, “That scrap-brained idiot is going to get himself killed!”

“Come back, it’s too dangerous! The whole place is going to explode!” Cole yelled.

“Then I better be quick!” was the only response we got.

Jay and Father were already halfway up the wall to the exit. I shoved Zane and Cole onto the wall, urging them to go ahead and start climbing. Everyone regrouped at the top and we turned to search for Kai among the chaos. He was still running for the Fangblade which was lodged into the wall with the Sword of Fire.

“Leave it, Kai! It’s not worth your life!” Jay screamed.

I agreed. But Kai was far too stubborn for his own good and kept going. I felt horrible for doing this, but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.

“We _have_ to go. _Now_.”

“But what about Kai?” Lloyd questioned as he turned to the cavern, “Kai!”

At that moment, that heart-stopping moment… the rock beneath Lloyd crumbled… and he was falling.  
“LLOYD!!!”

“Dad!”

I would have dived off the edge after him if Zane Cole hadn’t restrained me. The rock floated on the lava, but barely. Lloyd remained on his stomach, not willing to move in fear of falling off the small surface. We backed away from the edge of the cliff as lava spewed up at us.

“Dad! I’m sinking!”

Cole continued to pull me away as I fought desperately to go after my cousin.

**_What happened to the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?!_ **

“We have to get out of here or else none of us will get out of here!” Father said.

Jay and Father dragged Garmadon through the tunnel as Cole guided me in first.

Jay was leading the way. Garmadon was screaming for Lloyd. None of this was fully registering in my brain, though. I was focused on the blank. It helped me to function without resistance.

Seeing that I was no longer fighting against him, Cole released me to help with Garmadon. Exiting the Fire Temple, we boarded the Bounty as it began to take off. Only when Nya joined us on the upper deck as the volcano erupted did everything catch up. I gripped the railing hard enough to give me splinters had I not been wearing gloves.

“Kai,” Nya breathed.

Garmadon was not far behind as he also whispered, “Son.”

I watched the mouth of the volcano closely, hoping against hope that they would magically shoot out of there alive at least. A ball of red light shot out of the opening. At first, I thought it was more volcanic rock, but looking closer I could see it was Kai and Lloyd.

“It’s Kai!” Jay announced, “He’s found his true potential!”

We back up to give them room to land on the Bounty. They landed before us, Lloyd falling face first onto the deck. Kai followed shortly after as his powers died, taking the time to remove his mask before doing so.

We were gathered in the Bridge, Garmadon trapping his son in a tight embrace. I was keeping to myself in the right corner beside the wheel. Beside Father.

“Dad? Is it really you?”

Lloyd’s question drew my attention to the pair once again.

“It is, son.”

“Dad… Why do you have four arms?”

I snorted in amusement, unable to cover it up.

“He’s going to be okay!” Cole laughed.

Cheers erupted from my friends, prompting a smile from me. Lloyd turned to Kai as Garmadon gave a quiet thank you to him.

“But how did you survive?” Zane inquired, “How did you discover the key to unlocking your powers?”

“I knew when I had to make a choice. I wanted the Fangblade so badly to prove I was good enough to become the Green Ninja. But then I figured it out. All of my training to become the best ninja wasn’t in preparation to become the Green Ninja. It was… to protect him.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Lloyd in surprise. The boy, in turn, stared at us in confusion.

“What? What is everyone looking at me for?”

Garmadon backed away as Kai, Nya, and Cole gathered the four weapons and approached my cousin. The weapons glowed a brilliant green light as hovered around him.

Father brightened, “Lloyd is the Green Ninja. I had thought it would be one of you, but it was him the whole time,” he made his way over to Lloyd, the Golden Weapons gently moving to the floor, “It all makes sense. Not only have you four been chosen to protect the Golden Weapons, but also to protect the chosen one.”

“That means…” Garmadon trailed off, realizing the implications.

“The battle lines have been drawn, brother. Sadly, our family has only become more divided.”

Lloyd slowly moved to face his father.

“Brother versus brother, and now, son versus father.”

There was a long moment of silence as everything sunk in. A moment that I spent pondering how familiar this all sounded… Until Jay’s voice cut through the silence like a hot knife through butter.

“This is heavy and all, but whatever happened to the FANGBLADE?”

Seeing as we were now discussing the outcome of the battle, “And did anyone happen to see what happened to Ghirahim and Zant?”

Everyone went silent and turned to Kai. He shrugged helplessly. A deep sigh left me as the disappointment weighed heavily.

**Third Person-Main Palace, Gerudo Desert**

Ghirahim and Zant bowed before their king.

“Master, they found the third Fangblade,” Zant reported.

King Ganondorf stood from his throne, eyes widening, “The third one already? Keep an eye on the Serpentine. And if it’s possible, allow Wu and his students to derail them from their mission. We must not allow them to succeed.”

“Yes, King Ganondorf.”

The door creaked open behind them and they spun around to see a concerned Link. He had frozen in the doorway, no doubt overhearing their conversation.

“T-They're that close to unleashing the Great Devourer…?”

“I’m afraid so, son. You would do well to prepare for the worst.”

“Like… Our backup plan?”

“Indeed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a few subtle references to a one-shot I wrote for this. Did you catch them?


	15. Kindness In Your Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninjas find the Serpentine's hideout beneath the ground and launch a desperate last attempt to get the Fangblades. Unfortunately, they are captured and must rely on Lloyd, Midna, and Garmadon to get them free.

**Lilith**

Fear is something that I resented. Fear leads to being used. Fear leads to being mocked. Fear leads to being accused of trying to get attention. Fear is what I never showed outwardly. Any fear I felt was always hidden behind a mask. One that had been built up for my own protection. The people around me would yell and scream and hit. I would take it all in stride. I took it with dignity. Just as Impa had taught me.

_Never show the enemy fear._

Zelda and Mother never made things any easier. They were the ones that had me fully placing the mask over myself. Mother has never treated me like she loved me. Not that I can remember. Indifference was the only thing I received from her. Zelda was never one to be passive aggressive. She was the next in line to lead. She always spoke her mind. She never let one thought remain idle inside her brain.

She used to care for me as every elder sister should. I don’t know what happened. It was a rough time, yes, but I was doing as I was asked so as not to make the situation worse.

It wasn’t long afterward that Impa was the only one to truly see me as a sentient being and not some rabid animal. But what was one retainer’s opinion compared to a whole village? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Anger and betrayal are what made me who I am today. It was fueled by my need to defend others from the same fate as the one I had been subjected to. So far, I have succeeded in my mission. I have rescued children who were abandoned, left behind, abused. I have helped them to integrate into my little family.

I think… Impa would be proud of my accomplishments.

**Sheik**

It had only been a short time after Lloyd was discovered to be the Green Ninja. After what had happened at the arcade, I refused to let him out of my sight now that he was home safe. Lloyd was excited to have a new friend in Midna. And Midna was just as excited to have someone else who could help cause mischief. They were quite the rowdy pair.

But even with all of Midna’s rebellious front, I could tell she was feeling homesick. She wasn’t used to being in the sun so much. I didn’t know the exact location of the Twili’s village, but I did know they resided in the darkest reaches of Ninjago. They thrived in the shadows just as Sheikah always have.

And speaking of which…

“Sheik! Midna’s hiding in the closet again!”

I lightly banged my forehead against the closest wall at Lloyd’s call from the laundry room. Making my way there, I massaged my temples to stave off a headache of exasperation. Midna only hid in there was something was wrong.

Lloyd met me halfway, offering less than needed encouragement before taking off to find another playmate while Midna was unavailable.

I knocked gently on the closet door. The only answer I got was silence.

“Midna?”

“Not now! I’m on the verge of a major breakthrough!”

I sighed and opened the door, revealing Midna tinkering with something. She glanced up at me with a tiny glare.

“I said I’m busy. Or do you not understand the meaning of the word?”

I shuffled into the tiny space, closing the door behind me. Midna had a book light attached to the collar of the leather jacket she had draped around her shoulders so it was bright enough to see. I sat beside her watching her mess with the wiring of her device.

“What are you making?” I inquired softly.

She grunted quietly as she roughly put a wire in its place, “Does it matter?”

“Not really. But I’m a curious person. Indulge me.”

She huffed, “Fine. I’m trying to make a device that allows the user to phase through solid objects.”

“Would you be able to phase through a person?”

“Are you solid?”

Seeing her point, I went quiet to let her focus. Midna returned to messing around with the wires and some of the circuitry, occasionally making smalls sounds of frustration when she had trouble.

“Sheik… do you think I’m… a good person?”

I blinked in surprise at the question, “Of course. Why would you not be?”

Midna fidgeting with one of her tools, “I, um… I…”

I furrowed my brows in confusion, “What…?”

“ _The four have returned with info. Everyone meet in the Bridge_ ,” Nya’s voice rang out on the PA.

“We’ll finish this later.”

“The Venomari’s right. By the time we cast sail clear across to the other side of Ninjago, Pythor will have already beat us to the last Fangblade,” Nya explained.

“Oh, come on, guys. This is the _last one_. We gotta get it. We gotta think of something,” Jay insisted.

“Hey,” Lloyd spoke up, “All we have to do is get one Fangblade to stop him. What if we take back the other three? Pythor wouldn’t risk having them all on him. He’s probably hidden them somewhere, while he goes for the fourth.”

“It’s so simple.”

“Ha! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Midna spun on her heels to face Lloyd, “How’d you come up with that?”

Lloyd scratched the back of his head nervously, “Comic books.”

“Hmph. You’re smarter than you let on.”

“It can’t be _that_ easy!” Jay protested.

“Easy?” Zane questioned in disbelief, “My algorithms suggest taking the other three would be far more dangerous. Pythor would undoubtedly have them protected by his top generals.”

“And the Yiga. Pythor’s not dumb. If he has resources, he’s going to use them,” I added.

“Ha, finally, I don’t have to hold back,” Kai said.

“Even if you could steal the other three, you don’t even know where they are,” Garmadon reminded us.

Father nodded, “He’s right. For the past few weeks, there have been almost no Serpentine sightings. How are they moving around? It’s like they’re ghosts.”

Nya suddenly brightened, “Or _snakes_! Bridge, give me a sonar sweep of Ninjago.”

The monitor beeped and gave the results of the scan.

“See? Nothing. It’s just like Sensei said,” Kai replied.

“But what if they aren’t traveling above ground?”

“Snakes burrow,” I said, realizing just what she had noticed.

“Bridge, now give me a sonar sweep of Ninjago but twenty feet below the surface.”

The monitor projected a hologram of Ninjago with several lines joining to meet a cone in the middle. Tunnels and their inner sanctum.

“All the tombs have been interconnected!” Kai exclaimed.

“To make one massive underground fortress,” Cole said, finishing the thought.

“And all this time, right under our noses,” Jay remarked.

“Or rather, feet,” Zane corrected, humorously.

“There,” Kai pointed to the sanctum, “That’s the most protected area. The Fangblades must be held there.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Father asked, “Nya, set the course.”

Smirking, Nya turned to the controls, “Already on it. We’ll be there by sun-up.”

The next morning’s early hours were spent training and preparing to storm the Serpentine fortress. Ever since we learned of all the Serpentine tribes' abilities extensively, we’ve developed ways to work around them. Though, they mostly applied to the others. The general ones, I was already capable of.

“I have trained you well. You are all ready,” Father said.

“What about you, Sensei? Will you fight? We need all the help we can get,” Kai replied.

“My concern is that my old bones cannot keep up. But I will be there in spirit.”

Nya’s voice rang out over the PA before anything more could be said, “ _We’re at the Mountain of a Million Steps. You all might want to see this_.”

As the Bounty was maneuvered to hover over the mountain, we all looked over to see. I had not been to this mountain in particular before. I remembered that Zane and Cole had, though.

“Woah! Look at all those piles of dirt!”

I huffed in amusement at Jay’s fascination with the _dirt_ of all things.

“What are those snakes up to?” Kai wondered out loud.

Lloyd and Midna came running down to us from the Bridge, eager to assist in whatever way they could.

“Wait for us!”

Father halted them by placing hands on their shoulder, “This is not your fight. The Green Ninja is too important for a future destiny. And I need you, Midna, to help me watch over him. You both shall remain with me.”

Nya landing on the deck in her exo-suit drew out attention, “Well, they’re going to have to look after themselves, because we made room for you,” she gestured to that chair resting on its shoulder.”

“You said you were concerned that you couldn’t keep up, so Jay, Nya, and Midna rejiggered the design so you could come along,” Kai said, “Well, what do you think?”

The pure excitement I sensed in my father had me beaming at the shared enthusiasm.

“I think-” he jumped up into the seat, “Shotgun! Ha-ha!”

Garmadon stepped forward, prompting me to move back a couple of paces, “I will stay back with Lloyd and Midna. I don’t enjoy saying this but… good luck.”

Just what we needed… another mission busted. We were spotted by that freak with the half-mask. Where did he go anyway? I was surprised he was even still alive at that point. My powers are not so easily cured at full blast... They must have had powerful healing mages with the Gerudo and Twili. Too bad the Sheikah didn’t have any when… _No. Focus. Not the time to reminisce._

I dodged a carefully aimed throwing star from a Yiga footsoldier, retaliating with a Deku Nut to blind him. A swift kick to his head and he was out cold. It occurred to me that the Serpentine had been avoiding fighting me directly because the Yiga wished to take their ‘prize’ for themselves than have someone else deliver it to them.

_I can’t believe they referred to me as an it. I’m not some lab rat!_

Feeling particularly miffed, I ran to assist Zane as he became increasingly surrounded by Serpentine, passing Jay, Nya, and Father in the process.

“Not to interrupt the lovebirds, but we do have Fangblades to capture!” Zane reminded, throwing a shuriken to keep the snakes back.

I threw a punch to the Fangpyre that came a little too close for comfort, cringing harshly as I felt his jaw breaking. Fighting back a sudden wave of nausea, I turned to see Zane getting hit with the Venomari’s venom. He stumbled back a couple of paces as he rubbed at his eyes. His head whipped around, his body language screaming _anxiety_.

Kai, Jay, and Cole rushed in, realizing the need to band together. I faintly heard Zane muttering to himself about switching to his Falcon’s vision as more Venomari closed in. The more we fought, the more that seemed to appear. We were backed closer to the Fangblades, at least, though I was sure I could practically smell a trap if the uneasiness I felt was any indication. I don’t believe anyone else noticed them, considering we were all standing back to back and fighting snakes. The only ones who may have been able to see them, besides me, were Cole and Kai.

Seeing as my direction was clear for the moment, I took the chance to mention our target, “I have the Fangblades in my sight.”

Kai was the first to look in their direction, Cole second. The Earth Ninja turned to us with a mischievous look they all got when they playfully bantered.

“I’ll let you have the honors.”

“I do not think it wise to-”

Kai interrupted to answer Cole, “Oh, no, after you.”

Cole made a break for the Fangblades before I stop him, as clamps rose from the stone floor to cuff his wrists. The sudden pull from the action had his weapon falling out of reach.

“Ah! It’s a trap!”

A large cage fell over us all once Nya and Father had come to help. We sprung the trap all right. Everyone but myself were trying to pry the bars apart, something I knew would be futile.

_This is exactly why Impa and Steen had put so much emphasis on following your instincts. It saved your butt from situations like this and worse._

“Come, come! Can this get any better?”

I turned to glare at the new arrival, imagining a painful death for the Anacondrai general.

“Seriously, they fell _right_ into my trap.”

He was far too arrogant. A feeling far too animalistic for my liking rose up like fire in my throat, noises and words that begged to be released. I shoved the intense urge to snarl and hiss like a cornered beast to preserve what dignity I still had.

_I should have followed my instincts when they told me something was off._

**_There’s no use in grumbling over it now. The best thing to do is to remain calm and formulate a plan of escape._ **

_Too bad I didn’t really pay much attention to escape classes._

**_Even if you had, it wouldn’t have changed much. Sheikah work solo but also as one. If one of their own is in trouble they can’t get out of on their own, the rest are there to help them out. We went for an ‘all or nothing’ tactic. There was always a chance this could happen. A_ very _high chance._**

_It still could have been avoided had I just-_

**_Shut up and focus on getting out and getting the four Fangblades. You can have your pity party when you’re safe on the Destiny’s Bounty._ **

It wasn’t long before we were high above the ground, our cage hanging by a chain and our weapons were taken. Nya had managed to contact Lloyd and Midna. Apparently, Garmadon had been trying to steal secrets that I couldn’t even remember having on the Bounty and Lloyd had told him to leave. That was putting it very simply. The kids were coming to rescue us, though, because of Lloyd’s inexperience, Midna may have been the only one to actually provide something resembling assistance beyond a distraction.

Beyond debating tactical errors and limited choices, my mind had wandered to the motive behind leaving our weapons chained up here with us. Beyond our reach, mind you, but if someone managed to grab one...

**_It would do absolutely nothing._ **

_And I’m obviously bored or just trying not to think about the fact that I don’t trust the supposedly thick chain suspending us what was probably twenty-thirty feet above-No, there you go again. Think about… I don’t know… sticky notes? Pillows? What are you supposed to think about in these situations? Definitely not the way the cage occasionally rocks slightly when someone moves a little too harshly or the sick feeling of terror that washes over me and the desperation to get out of this metal and stone prison-FOCUS ON SOMETHING ELSE, PLEASE!!! Anything! Thinkofahappyplace-Thinkofahappyplace-Thinkofahappyplace-_

If the concerned looks I was getting from everyone else was anything to go by, I was not doing a good job of keeping my internal freakouts from becoming external. I tried to close my eyes and focus on meditating. Maybe just until I cleared my head. If that was even possible at this point. All my thoughts were being spoken by me and not Sheik.

When had I started to separate the voices in my head? When had I decided that the logical and level-headed side of me was Sheik and the remnants of who I was before was the side that freaked out over small things? Why was I still talking to myself?

Seeing as meditation was failing to do its job, I opened my eyes and began calculating the width of the cage. I supposed it was better to be in the middle of the dang thing than on the outer edges where I would definitely be able to feel even the slightest tipping should it happen. The cage was very sturdy in and of itself, yes, but it didn’t stop momentum and force of gravity.

I didn’t know why I was so aware of everything all at once. It made no sense to me how every detail was being ingrained into my memory, how every move or sound someone made had my heart pound faster as a weight settled in my chest. A sense of dread that would not leave my thoughts alone.

In another desperate attempt to distract myself, I began sketching invisible lines along the stone beneath me. Sheikah runes retelling myself legends passed down by the Sheikah. It was better than panicking, I decided. Drowning myself in the tales of heroes and sages and magical artifacts that could reveal the truth and grant any wish desired, I found that I forgot our predicament, however briefly. Only Pythor’s loud voice broke me from my peaceful trance, impossible to ignore.

“Together, we have taken back the four Fangblades! When we return them to the city of Ouroboros, together we will unleash the Great Devourer! To the city of Ouroboros!”

The uproarious cheers from below attacked my eardrums enough to make my breath hitch at the smack in the face from reality once again. Then a quieter voice from below cut through after the cheers died, spoke of his desire to use their base a little more. Celebration, then. It sounded as though Pythor decided to comply with the wishes of his underlings this time.

**_A tactical error. Use this as a chance to escape. Celebrating just before the mission is complete always ends in disaster. Never let your guard down._ **

_SANE ME IS BACK!!!_

**_…_ **

_Hm… It seems like the Yiga that were here have left. No reinforcement from their allies is a good thing for us._

Kai’s grumbling had me focusing on what was going on up here rather than below, “Ugh, so all we can do is wait? This is killing me.”

“Patience. Lloyd and Midna will figure something out,” Father said.

“We’re putting all of our trust in two children who’ve had hardly any field experience. Uh, is anyone else having doubts about this plan?” Kai moved to shake the bars, “Just because we don’t have our weapons, doesn’t mean we can’t use our powers,” he reached out for his sword, “We just need to focus.”

“The chamber was built out of Vengestone. Our elemental powers are rendered useless. _Patience_.”

Kai dropped his arm with a sigh and stepped away from the edge. The sick feeling of terror returned as he continued to somewhat stomp his way past me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I flinched harshly.

“Please... stop... moving…” I uttered through clenched teeth.

Another flinch tore through my body as I felt Nya’s presence settle beside me, however gently. I clenched my left fist as I tried to shift my focus to writing out the legends again.

“Hey, that hair oil was just about to be kinged!”

“Yeah? Well, I’m just about to get us out of here."

A squirt from the hair oil had me glancing in Kai’s direction, the strong smell stinging my nose, “What are you doing?”

Cole jumped up when the Fire Ninja began rubbing it into his GI and armor, “Whoa, greaseball! How about warning us before you do that?”  
“You can make jokes all you want, but I don’t think we need our special powers to get out of here. Just a little ingenuity.”

Tossing the tube aside, he approached the bars again. It only took a couple of seconds before he had slipped through the bars.

“He made it!”

“Look at that.”

“All right, slickster! But now what?”

Kai turned and reached for the closest chain, “Now, we quietly do a little ball and chain.”

_I don’t like the sound of that… I **really** don’t like the sound of that._

I slowly stood with everyone else and carefully inched my way over to join them. Kai had looped the chain through the bars before sliding down. The cage rocking indicated that he’d begun swinging.

“It’s working, keep going,” Nya whispered.

_No, please stop!_

**_You’ll be free sooner if you let him keep going._ **

“Come on, everyone. Let’s see if we can throw our weight around!”

“Hey, it’ll be okay. It’ll go a lot faster if you run with us,” Nya whispered as I clung onto the bars.

Swallowing back the bile rising up my throat, I shakily released my hold and jumped into the run with everyone. My heart leaped in fear at each tip.

“More speed!”

“Next one and I’ve got it. Push…!”

I caught sight of a flash of red as we slowed our run. My hope dwindled when I realized Pythor had caught onto us and recaptured Kai as he jumped to the ledge.

This was much better. At least we weren’t rocking the cage around. See? Being cuffed to the bars meant little movement and that was good. Little movement meant less fear on my part. And-

**_Don’t bother trying to make light of the situation._ **

From Cole’s sarcastic response, I took it he agreed, “Great! We’re in such a better place than we were before!”

“And now we can’t even play checkers.”

_Should checkers really be your first concern, Zane?_

“I was gonna be kinged, Kai!”

A sharp sigh passed my lips at their squabbling. Our focus really should have been on either escaping our prison or waiting on Lloyd and Midna.

“Don’t worry, Sensei, I have faith in Lloyd and Midna.”

_I do as well, Nya. I do as well._

Well, Lloyd and Midna had arrived. They’d split up once they saw us though, Lloyd going to distract the Serpentine while Midna worked on finding how to get us out. For the most part, Midna was just scouting out the surrounding area from above. While I believed that their plan was a bit risky, everything about this entire mission was, so I couldn’t judge. Drastic times call for drastic measures.

Of course, I don’t believe Lloyd tripping and rolling down the slope and right into the mass of Serpentine warriors was part of their plan judging by the smack Midna delivered to her forehead. The confused silence that followed was almost unsettling for me as I silently begged my dear little cousin to be okay. A fall like that…

“I really gotta grow into this thing…” came the so-quiet-that-I-almost couldn’t-hear grumble.

Both relief and annoyance hit me like a tidal wave as I rested my head against the cold bars. If I just continued to laser focus on what was going on outside the cage maybe I wouldn’t have to experience a panic attack. Would be the first one in a while.

**_Hush. Focus._ **

“Well, if we don’t meet again, Pythor! Unhand the ninja, or suffer humiliation against…”

_Please, don’t say ‘The Green Ninja’. Please, don’t say-_

“...The Green Ninja!”

The resounding clang of smacking my forehead into the bars was enough to state how I felt about his choice of words to the team. The laughter from below only further made my pity grow.

“Oh, yeah? You and what army?”

_Please, don’t say-_

“How about my army of fists?”

_Okay, we really need to work on his fight banter… Wait… AGH!!! NO!!! THE OTHERS HAVE CORRUPTED ME!!! FIGHT BANTER?! WHAT ON EARTH, SHEIK?!_

“Or this army!”

The sound of Garmadon’s voice had my attention snapping right up. He apparently snuck in with a giant Skulkin Army when I wasn’t looking. Well, there goes another few hours of my day that I’m spending to hone my senses. More proof that I was nowhere close to being anything like my kin.

“Dad!”

“Lloyd. You helped me realize I do have a choice. And if there is anyone who is going to threaten Ninjago, it better well be me!” 

Okay, that made sense on his part, but why the skellies? I mean, I guess they were the only the only other main army in Ninjago that Garmadon worked with or even knew of…

“The skeleton army? But why would they fight beside you? You betrayed them and Samukai long ago,” Pythor said.

Also, that! Wait a second… How does Pythor know about that? I mean, it’s old news, yes, but he wasn’t freed from his tomb until more recently. And it’s not exactly common knowledge. Not that it’s a secret, it’s just not something we really talked about much. Whatever, I’m sure he had his sources.

In my confusion, I had unintentionally tuned out the rest of the conversation. The two armies were already clashing and Pythor was grabbing the Fangblades. An abrupt tremble came from the cage and the next thing I knew, I was clutching the closest person’s arm, especially after we started going down.

“Hey, we’re moving!” Jay exclaimed excitedly.

“Yeah! The wrong way!” Cole corrected, blowing out Jay’s elation.

It took me a total of about ten seconds to realize who’s arm I ended up squeezing the life out of. And honestly, I couldn’t bring myself to care at that moment. I just wanted out. Where was Midna?! Seeing as we were getting a little too close to the bubbling venom below, climbing the bars seemed the best idea to delay dissolving. Of course, now that we were lower, I had released the arm to hold on to the bars.

At least I wasn’t so concerned about being in the cage anymore. Nope. Now, I have something else to worry about. The hiss of the sizzling venom eating through the metal below caught our ears. This would be a great time for Midna or even Lloyd to shut down the pulley system.

Nya glanced up from the death pit, “Midna! Lloyd!”

Or both. That works too. Ducking under slashing swords and flying fists, the pair made their way to the lever that would free us. Midna pulled it in her direction and glanced over her shoulder, sending us one of her signature grins. The cuffs released their hold and the cage ceased its decent. Jumping down from the bars, they retracted, giving us the freedom to leave. Moving onto solid ground, I took a second to still my shaking legs while our weapons were being lowered.

“You’ve got a really strong grip, you know?”

Breathing a few curses under my breath, I turned to Cole, multiple apologies on the tip of my tongue, “My bad.”

_Really? Of all the things you could have said…_

Lloyd’s call of, “Told you we’d save you!” drew me back to reality and I quickly gathered up my weapons. Summoning her Twili magic, Midna nodded to us and bounded off to fight the Serpentine. Using our Spinjitzu, we jumped right into the heat of battle. The familiar weight of my kunai resting comfortably in my grip put a boost in my confidence as I fought fluidly through the snakes. I came to a halt when I realized Pythor had bumped into Cole’s back, though the Earth Ninja hardly moved a step forward from the impact.

I pounced forward, a kunai poised to seriously harm if the Anacondrai tried anything. The four boys whipped around to face Pythor even as the snake continued to slowly back away, realizing his mistake.

“Going somewhere?” Cole quipped as he leveled the head of his scythe at the snake’s neck.

I managed to catch an, “Oh, dear.” from Pythor before Cole snatched the four Fangblades from the hissing snake. Hardly a second afterward did his image distort as his natural ability disappear kicked in. I blinked my eyes a couple of times as my brain caught up to what just happened. I knew he was capable of that, I had just never seen it in action before. Huh.

“Where did he go?” Cole asked, glancing around as if he expected the general to reappear.

_Pythor is far too cowardly to do that._

“Who cares? We have the Fangblades,” Kai reminded.

_Personally, I care. Well, sort of. It’s drilled into a Sheikah at a young age to never leave loose ends._

“Let’s get out of here!”

Shoving down my unease at letting the snake general go, I followed after my friends as we used Spinjitzu to make a quick and efficient escape. The cheers from Kruncha and Nuckal-never thought that would happen-helping to push me onward.

Upon escaping the den of snakes, I had pulled Midna aside before we went to get cleaned up from the battle. She seemed to realize my reasoning as she ducked her head as we left for the bow of the ship. I figured it was the most private place to speak at the moment. I leaned the small of my back against the railing while Midna leaned her arms on it. It was silent for several beats as we just stood there, taking in the peace of flying above the clouds.

“I wrote a letter to Zant explaining how I was refusing to spy anymore,” Midna said, finally breaking.

I tilted my head in her direction to let her know I was listening. A small gesture to be sure, but it seemed to be enough as she continued.

“I got the reply yesterday evening,” her breath hitched as she placed one of her delicate hands over one of her jacket’s pockets, “He said that he understands my decision… But he wants me to go home to him and my people. I want to go but I don’t want to abandon you guys…”

Seeing that there was a lull as she waited for me to speak my thoughts, I turned to stand in front of her. I placed my hands on her shoulders, giving them a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“If you want to go home, then none of us will stop you. You won’t be abandoning us. Our mission in stopping the Serpentine is coming to a close. The most we’ll be doing after we melt the Fangblades is dealing with Serpentine attacks as they come. They won’t have much of a mission aside from causing as much chaos as possible. Hopefully, now that their objective has been derailed, the Yiga will dissolve their alliance with the Serpentine and significantly deplete their numbers.”

Midna’s gaze wavered as she turned to stare in the direction of our living area, “What will happen to Lloyd? He still has to fight his father and fulfill the prophecy.”

“We’re hoping that won’t happen for a while as Lloyd is still very young and inexperienced in every way,” I answered, letting my arms fall back to my sides.

Tears shined in the small Twili’s red eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself, “I… I think I’m going to go home after we destroy the Fangblades,” Biting her lower lip, she turned and buried her face in my shoulder as the first of her tears fell, “I-I… I’m going to miss you guys…”

I lifted one of my trembling hands and hesitantly rested it on her head, gently running my fingers through her tangled hair.

_I know, Midna. We’re going to miss you as well. It’ll definitely be a lot quieter without you around, knowing that another piece of our family has left just as another returned. At least, I know we’ll see each other again. It won’t be ‘Goodbye’… It’ll be ‘See you later’..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, just to clarify, Sheik is not afraid of heights. This has to do with her bit of claustrophobia. Because if she were outside of the cage, she would have been fine. The feeling of being trapped and unable to escape freaks her out a lot.
> 
> I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter. Mostly because the Great Devourer part of the season is... well, I'm not really sure how to describe it but I know that it isn't my favorite. All of Nothing is probably my least favorite episode in Season 1. Not that I hate it, it's just that the other episodes were a lot better, in my opinion. I decided to try and make the most of it. 


End file.
